Genetic analysis in Dahl salt-sensitive rats

1. To investigate predisposition to hypertension in Dahl salt-sensitive rats, genome-wide screens were performed in F2 populations. 2. Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) for blood pressure were detected, of which some were shown to confer susceptibility genes by the construction of congenic animals carrying relevant chromosome fragments. 3. Chromosome regions homologous to one QTL (on rat chromosome 10) were recently shown to be linked to hypertension in humans. Thus, there is a possibility that a 'common' susceptibility gene causes hypertension in both species.