Differentially expressed transcripts and associated protein pathways in basilar artery smooth muscle cells of the high-salt intake–induced hypertensive rat

The pathology of cerebrovascular disorders, such as hypertension, is associated with genetic changes and dysfunction of basilar artery smooth muscle cells (BASMCs). Long-term high-salt diets have been associated with the development of hypertension. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying salt-sensitive hypertension-induced BASMC modifications have not been well defined, especially at the level of variations in gene transcription. Here, we utilized high-throughput sequencing and subsequent signaling pathway analyses to find a two–fold change or greater upregulated expression of 203 transcripts and downregulated expression of 165 transcripts in BASMCs derived from rats fed a high-salt diet compared with those from control rats. These differentially expressed transcripts were enriched in pathways involved in cellular, morphological, and structural plasticity, autophagy, and endocrine regulation. These transcripts changes in the BASMCs derived from high-salt intake–induced hypertensive rats may provide critical information about multiple cellular processes and biological functions that occur during the development of cerebrovascular disorders and provide potential new targets to help control or block the development of hypertension.