Through binding to its specific receptors, the peptide hormone angiotensin II (AII) has multiple actions. Among them, its ability to regulate smooth muscle cell contractility and growth, as well as sodium and water homeostasis, making AII a major hormone of the cardiovascular system. Polymorphic variations, affecting the function or the expression of the genes involved in AII generation or action, may be the basis for particular genetic predisposition to cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension or myocardial infarction. This hypothesis is now being tested by the use of informative DNA markers on the renin angiotensin system genes (RAS) in genetic studies involving animal models or collections of patients affected by the disease. Results available on the RAS genes are presented here together with the future extensions of the strategy for identifying predisposing genes for common cardiovascular diseases.
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