Dominant role of CACNA1D exon mutations for blood pressure regulation

Background: CACNA1D gene, which encodes the α1 subunit of the Cav1.3 L-type calcium channel effectively regulates intracellular Ca 2+ stability. In recent years, clinical studies have shown that the CACNA1D polymorphisms were associated with hypertension. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of CACNA1D exon mutation on blood pressure (BP) in Sprague–Dawley rats. Methods: The rats with CACNA1D p.D307G, CACNA1D p.V936I or CACNA1D p.R1516Q were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. SBP measurements of rats were taken for 32 weeks. Tissue morphology of rats and vasoactive substances in serum was tested. Furthermore, the effects of L-type calcium channel blocker isradipine and endothelin-1 (ET-1) inhibitor BQ-123 on BP of double mutation rats (CACNA1D p.D307G/p.R1516Q) were tested. Then we examined the effects of CACNA1D gene mutation on gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Results: Elevated SBP and increased circulating ET-1 was observed in CACNA1D p.D307G mutant rats. Morphological assessments showed that the vascular, cardiac and renal remodeling could also be observed in rats with p.D307G mutant. Cav1.3 protein expression and calcineurin phosphatase activity in VSMCs of rats with CACNA1D p.D307G were increased in vitro , and the vascular ring tension test of mesenteric grade 3 arteries in CACNA1D p.D307G rats were increased in vivo . Furthermore, ET-1 expression were increased in isolated primary aortic endothelial cells in p.D307G mutant rats and transfected p.D307G mutant HUVECs. Finally, double heterozygosity rats with CACNA1D p.D307G/p.R1516Q or CACNA1D p.D307G/p.V936I further accelerated the rise of SBP compared with p.D307G mutation rats, and isradipine and BQ-123 reduced BP to the same extent in CACNA1D p.D307G/p.R1516Q rats. Conclusion: CACNA1D gene is key players in the regulation of blood pressure. CACNA1D mutation rat may be a new hypertension animal model.