Sexual dimorphism on hypertension of quantitative trait loci entrapped in Dahl congenic rats

Although it is well-known that quantitative trait loci (QTLs) influence blood pressure (BP) in male Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DSS), few studies have been carried out to ascertain the BP effect of these QTLs in females. In the current work, we analyzed BP of seven selected congenic strains constructed in the DSS background. One QTL, C8QTL2, exhibited similar effects on systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP), and mean arterial (MAP) pressures in females as previously shown in males. In contrast, six QTLs that previously demonstrated influences on SAP, DAP, and MAP in males did not have effects in females. These male-specific QTLs are likely regulated differently in males than in females and emphasize the necessity of identifying female-specific QTLs for diagnosing and treating hypertension in women. Current findings may have implications in genetic research of essential hypertension, and association and linkage analyses should be performed in separate genders. Men and women may possess distinctive as well as shared genetic determinants for SAP, DAP, and MAP. The data on a single gene or marker might be pooled from both genders only when evidence favors the sex-independence in a study.