Gestational hypertension in atrial natriuretic peptide knockout mice and the developmental origins of salt-sensitivity and cardiac hypertrophy

To determine the effect of gestational hypertension on the developmental origins of blood pressure (BP), altered kidney gene expression, salt-sensitivity and cardiac hypertrophy (CH) in adult offspring. Female mice lacking atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP−/−) were used as a model of gestational hypertension. Heterozygous ANP+/− offspring was bred from crossing either ANP+/+ females with ANP−/− males yielding ANP+/−WT offspring, or from ANP−/− females with ANP+/+ males yielding ANP+/−KO offspring. Maternal BP during pregnancy was measured using radiotelemetry. At 14weeks of age, offspring BP, gene and protein expression were measured in the kidney with real-time quantitative PCR, receptor binding assay and ELISA. ANP+/−KO offspring exhibited normal BP at 14weeks of age, but displayed significant CH (P