Working out the structure of molecules that control blood pressure

Structural mechanisms in the control of blood pressure

Blood pressure in humans is mainly controlled by systems that produce molecules resulting in vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) or vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels). Imbalances of these systems are a cause of high blood pressure (hypertension) and of subsequent coronary heart disease. We need further research into how these systems are regulated and what goes wrong in hypertension. Dr Aiwu Zhou and colleagues at the University of Cambridge plan to investigate, at the molecular level, how a molecule causing vasoconstriction, called angiotensin, is regulated in the circulation and on the cell surface. They will perform a detailed structural analysis of the activators of the angiotensin system using x-ray crystallography. These analyses will provide a precise basis for the development of new drugs to treat hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.