Laboratory of Genetics of Model Diseases

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About the Laboratory

Metabolic syndrome is defined as the co-occurrence of several risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: mainly obesity, insulin resistance, high triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels, and hypertension. These risk factors are determined by many genes with small effects and their interactions with environmental factors. Genome-wide association studies have so far revealed only a small fraction of the heritability of complex pathophysiological traits in humans. Thus, analyses of animal models of human complex diseases may represent a useful alternative. The department’s research is focused on the following projects:

Uncovering genes regulating hemodynamic and metabolic traits in the SHR strain.
Analysis of the mechanisms underlying the development of salt sensitive hypertension.

Projects

Linkage and correlation analyses of intermediary phenotypes to reveal candidate genes underlying complex pathophysiological traits in the SHR strain

Analysis of the hemodynamic mechanisms of the development of salt sensitive hypertension in hyperaldosteronism

Analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying hemodynamic abnormalities that initiate the development of hypertension with increased salt intake

Publications

Mlejnek; Petr - Liška; František - Večerková; Kateřina - Šimáková; Miroslava - Pravenec; Michal - Kurtz; T. W. Early reduction of skin potassium without sodium accumulation in the pathogenesis of salt sensitivity in primary aldosteronism. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2025; 16(29 April); 1575972.

IF = 4.8

Villani; F. - Guarracino; A. - Ward; R. R. - Green; T. - Emms; M. - Pravenec; Michal - Sharp; B. - Prins; P. - Garrison; E. - Williams; R. W. - Chen; H. - Colonna; V. Pangenome reconstruction in rats enhances genotype-phenotype mapping and variant discovery. iScience. 2025; 28(2); 111835.

IF = 4.1

Li; L. - Wu; Z. - Guarracino; A. - Villani; F. - Kong; D. - Mancieri; A. - Zhang; A. - Saba; L. - Chen; H. - Brožka; Hana - Valeš; Karel - Senko; A. N. - Kempermann; G. - Stuchlík; Aleš - Pravenec; Michal - Lechner; J. - Prins; P. - Mathur; R. - Lu; L. - Yang; K. - Peng; J. - Williams; R. W. - Wang; X. Genetic modulation of protein expression in rat brain. iScience. 2025; 28(3); 112079.

IF = 4.1

Andelová; K. - Sýkora; M. - Farkašová; V. - Stankovičová; T. - Szeiffová Bačová; B. - Knezl; V. - Egan Beňová; T. - Pravenec; Michal - Tribulová; N. Acclimation of Hairless Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat to Ambient Temperature Attenuates Hypertension-Induced Pro-Arrhythmic Downregulation of Cx43 in the Left Heart Ventricle of Males. Biomolecules. 2024; 14(12); 1509.

IF = 4.8

Pecina; Petr - Čunátová; Kristýna - Kaplanová; Vilma - Puertas-Frias; Guillermo - Šilhavý; Jan - Tauchmannová; Kateřina - Vrbacký; Marek - Čajka; Tomáš - Gahura; Ondřej - Hlaváčková; Markéta - Stránecký; V. - Kmoch; S. - Pravenec; Michal - Houštěk; Josef - Mráček; Tomáš - Pecinová; Alena Haplotype variability in mitochondrial rRNA predisposes to metabolic syndrome. Communications Biology. 2024; 7(1); 1116.

IF = 5.1

Pravenec; Michal - Mlejnek; Petr - Šimáková; Miroslava - Šilhavý; Jan Hemodynamic Mechanisms Initiating Salt-Sensitive Hypertension in Rat Model of Primary Aldosteronism. Physiological Research. 2024; 73(Suppl.1); S365-S376.

IF = 2.0