Cellular phenotypes and the genetics of hypertension.

Cellular phenotypes have been used in the search for genes or loci harboring genes in control of blood pressure in animals and humans. Preliminary findings using cellular phenotypes confirm that multiple genes contribute to the development of essential hypertension, consistent with the polygenic nature of this disorder. Although these results are promising, no loci have been unequivocally identified as causative for human hypertension. Cellular phenotypes, if combined with large-scale studies and evolving methodologies and databases for the human genome, could play an integral role in the search for genes causing essential hypertension.