Immune-Cell Protein TG2 Emerges as Hypertension Target
Researchers at the University of Missouri examined the protein TG2, which is present in blood vessels and some immune cells, as a possible hypertension target. In female mice, deleting TG2 from myeloid immune cells reduced blood pressure increases, arterial stiffness, and inflammation caused by angiotensin II. The work suggests that more precise treatments could eventually address inflammation underlying high blood pressure.
TG2 appears in vascular tissue and in a subset of immune cells. Earlier vessel research tied it to arterial stiffening. The new work asked whether its role in myeloid cells, an immune-cell group tied to inflammatory responses, also matters for hypertension. In female mice given angiotensin II, deleting TG2 from those cells lessened blood pressure elevation, vascular stiffness, and inflammatory responses. The effect was partial, not complete.
The study, led by Guido Lastra with Camila Manrique-Acevedo, received U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs support. It examined only female mice, so male responses remain unclear. Manrique-Acevedo, a professor and clinician, noted that clarifying mechanisms might someday enable more tailored hypertension care with fewer unwanted effects.
People with hypertension, especially those whose condition remains hard to control, could be affected if TG2-targeting approaches eventually translate from mice to humans. Because the study used female mice, any sex-specific benefits or risks remain uncertain. Clinicians and researchers may gain a more precise way to think about inflammation in high blood pressure, but years of testing would be needed before patients see new options.