Ontogenesis of sympathetic responsiveness in spontaneously hypertensive rats. II. Renal G proteins in male and female rats

Previously we have reported an increased renal alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptor expression in male spontaneously hypertensive rats that occurred ontogenetically in parallel with blood pressure elevation. However, increased receptor numbers were not accompanied by enhanced stimulation of inositol phosphate and cyclic AMP formation, respectively, indicating relative desensitization. We have now quantified alpha-subunits of the G proteins Gs (Gs short and Gs long), G(i), and Gq by immunoblotting and pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation in renal membranes from 3-, 6-, 8-, and 28-week-old normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive male Wistar-Kyoto rats; additionally, 28-week-old female normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats were studied. During ontogenesis of male normotensive rats, Gs short increased, Gs long remained unchanged, and G(i) alpha and Gq alpha decreased. In adult normotensive rats no sex differences were detected for Gs short, Gs long, and G(i) alpha. When male rats from the normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive strains were compared, all G protein alpha-subunits were similar in the prehypertensive phase (3 weeks). In established hypertension (28 weeks), Gs long and Gq alpha were reduced, whereas Gs short and G(i) alpha remained unchanged. Gs long was also reduced during the development of hypertension (6 and 8 weeks), whereas Gs short and G(i) alpha were not consistently altered in this phase. The reduction in Gs long seen in male adult hypertensive rats was not detectable in female hypertensive rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)