The role of the KCNJ5 potassium channel in blood pressure control

The role of the KCNJ5 potassium channel in aldosterone release

Up to 10% of people with high blood pressure (hypertension) have an excess of a hormone called aldosterone. Aldosterone is secreted by the adrenal gland and conserves salt in the body, thereby controlling blood pressure. In some people with high blood pressure the excess aldosterone is produced by a small benign tumour of the adrenal gland called an aldosterone-producing adenoma. This can also be called Conn’s syndrome. This research will investigate why the adrenal gland over secretes aldosterone in some people. It has been recently established that many aldosterone-producing tumours carry a mutation in the gene affecting a channel that carries potassium ions through the cell, the KCNJ5 channel. The researchers will investigate whether the KCNJ5 channel regulates aldosterone production in the adrenal gland, and whether it is important in people with abnormal aldosterone levels. If KCNJ5 is important in controlling aldosterone production, blockers of the KCNJ5 channel could become a new class of blood pressure lowering drug.