Pharmacogenomics of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling and Other Pathways in Essential Hypertension

Essential hypertension represents a cluster of genetically determined physiological abnormalities that is influenced by environmental factors and the individual’s lifestyle. Essential hypertension is a major public health challenge because it affects one in every three adult Americans and about one billion people worldwide, yet its current treatment is empirical and is focused on the remediation of a physical sign (i.e., high blood pressure [BP]) and not the underlying cause. In spite of the demonstrable utility of antihypertensive therapy, less than 50 % of patients are effectively managed. Surmounting the limitations of empirical medicine can be achieved by identifying the genetic variants that predispose an individual to develop hypertension and target organ susceptibility, as well as predict therapeutic efficacy. An increasing number of studies have shown that certain variants of genes that regulate blood pressure, including G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also affect the response to antihypertensive treatment.