Angiotensin II type 1 receptor mRNA levels in the brains of normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The type 1 angiotensin II (AII) receptor (AT1-R) has been implicated in the physiological actions mediated by AII in the brain. In view of the reported hyperactivity of the brain AII system in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), we compared the expression of AT1-R mRNAs in the brains of normotensive [Wistar Kyoto (WKY)] and SHR animals. Northern blot analysis showed about three- and approximately 20-fold increases in the levels of AT1-R mRNAs from the hypothalamus and brainstem areas, respectively, of the SHR compared with the WKY rat brain. This was attributable to greater levels of both AT1A- and AT1B-R mRNA subtypes in these areas from the SHR. These observations suggest that increased AII receptor levels in SHR brain may, in part, be a result of increased expression of the AT1-R gene.