Detecting Patterns in 5’ Untranslated Regions of Genes Involved in the Regulation of Blood Pressure and Oxidative Stress

Abstract

Hypertension is a chronic physical condition with multifactorial causes. Although genetic factors have been associated to this pathological condition, characterization of the sequence patterns in the regulatory sites, for example, in 3’ or 5’ Untranslated Regions (UTR), remains to be explored. In particular, the 5’ UTR of genes associated with the regulation of blood pressure and oxidative stress are analyzed in this article. To gain insight into how certain DNA motifs are involved with high blood pressure, we decided to perform a study with sequences from genes reported as regulators of blood pressure and oxidative stress. 5’ UTR gene sequences were submitted to patterns recognition by the Multiple Em for Motif Elicitation (MEME) software. Afterward, the motifs obtained were searched for in the Transcription Element Search System (TESS) and Consite platforms, in order to identify the submitted sequence as element response of some transcription factor described previously. Three different motifs in each group of vasorelaxing-and vasocontractile-related gene sequences were detected. In the vasorelaxing group, motif lengths were 39 to 50 nucleotides and were located from -361 to -167 bp before the Open Reading Frame (ORF). In turn, motifs in vasocontractile group sequences were located from -619 to -570 nucleotides, with a length of from 18 to 40 nucleotides. Regarding the nucleic acid content in the motifs found, adenine was more prevalent in vasorelaxing-related sequences with 45% of the average frequency, whereas guanine on those vasocontractile-related sequences with 38%. Distinct motif sequences and variations of nucleotide content in the promoter region of vasorelaxing and vasocontractile-activity related genes were detected. These motifs of each group of genes, with a putative antagonistic role between them, might be a differential cis-regulatory elements of transcriptional machinery.