[대학원 생명과학과 금요세미나 안내]
연사 : 오범석 교수(경희대학교 의과대학)
연제 : Functional investigation of Hypertension GWAS for the underlying mechanisms
일시 : 2016년 5월 13일 (금) 오후 4시
장소 : 하나과학관 A동 109호
초청교수 : 백자현 교수
Abstract
Blood pressure varies with individuals. The blood pressure difference can be attributed by environmental as well as genetic factors. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified 33 genetic loci that influence blood pressure in human. However, it has been difficult to determine causative genes at these loci due to a lack of functional analyses. It is necessary to identify causative genes in the GWAS loci in order to translate GWAS outcomes into the better understanding of blood pressure regulation as well as the advanced therapeutics. Therefore we aimed to validate the candidate genes from blood pressure GWAS loci by using in vivo siRNA injection into mice in order to identify causative genes in those GWAS loci. Systematically the screening of candidate genes was accomplished as follows: 1) analyzing the loci of GWAS signals using bioinformatics to select candidate genes for functional analysis, 2) examining the siRNA silencing effect of the genes in mice by measuring the blood pressure, and 3) investigating the mechanisms for their regulation of blood pressure using gene silencing and knockout mice as well as cell lines. We will share the findings from the study of ATP2B1 and CSK genes, and discuss the underlying mechanisms explaining the individual difference in blood pressure. The findings will extend our knowledge about the development of hypertension and may suggest a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of high blood pressure based on personalized medicine.