Project Grant R01HL172944

This Project Grant award in the amount of $717,236 was provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.837), with a performance period from December 15, 2024 to November 30, 2028. The grant supports research focused on understanding the role of neuronal primary cilia in hypertension, autonomic dysfunction, and body fluid imbalance. The research aims to evaluate how conditional ablation of cilia in the supraoptic nucleus affects blood pressure, drinking, urine volume, sodium concentration, plasma osmolality, regional sympathetic nerve traffic, and neuronal activity in hypertensive mice. The project will also examine the effects of angiotensin II type 1a receptor (AT1AR) deficiency in the supraoptic nucleus on these parameters, and investigate the mechanisms underlying cilia regulation by the AT1AR. The goal is to advance the understanding of the neuronal mechanisms that mediate regulation of blood pressure, sympathetic traffic, and body fluid balance in health and disease, which may lead to new approaches for selectively interfering with hypertension and other cardiovascular risks.