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Cardiovascular Regulation by the Neuronal BBSome
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Cardiovascular Regulation by the Neuronal BBSome

Deng-Fu Guo, John J Reho, Donald A Morgan and Kamal Rahmouni
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. 1979), Vol.75(4), pp.1082-1090
04/2020
DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.14373
PMID: 32148123
url
https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.14373View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The BBSome, a complex of eight Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) proteins known for its role in the control of cilia function and other cellular processes, has been implicated in blood pressure control, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we show that neuronal BBSome plays an important role in blood pressure regulation. Targeted inactivation of the BBSome in the nervous system through Bbs1 gene deletion causes sympathetically-mediated increase in blood pressure in mice. This phenotype is reproduced by selective ablation of the Bbs1 gene from the leptin receptor (LRb)-expressing neurons. Strikingly, the well-known role of the BBSome in the regulation of cilia formation and function is unlikely to account for the prohypertensive effect of BBSome inactivation as disruption of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery required for ciliogenesis by deleting the Ift88 gene in LRb neurons had no effect on arterial pressure and sympathetic nerve activity. Furthermore, we found that Bbs1 gene deletion from agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons or proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons increased renal and splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity without altering blood pressure. This lack of blood pressure increase despite the sympathetic overdrive may be explained by vascular adrenergic desensitization as indicated by the reduced vascular contractile response evoked by phenylephrine and the decreased expression of adrenergic receptors. Our results identify the neuronal BBSome as a new player in hemodynamic, sympathetic and vascular regulation, in a manner independent of cilia.
sympathetic nerve activity blood pressure Cilia proteins brain

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