Fig. 3.

Transcripts of angiotensin synthesizing genes were observed in the rat sympathetic stellate ganglia in the RNA-seq dataset. The transcriptome of the sympathetic stellate ganglia was sequenced using stellate ganglia extracted from four-week-old male Wistar rats (n = 5) and age-matched male prehypertensive SHR (preSHR, n = 5). A KEGG analysis was carried out using the differentially expressed transcripts where the gene input was selected using the Benjamini-Hochburg p.adj < 0.05. The KEGG group ‘Renin Secretion’ was found to be significantly altered in the preSHR ganglia, where the gene input was selected using the Benjamini-Hochburg p.adj < 0.05 (a). A full list of the genes, the fold changes and respective levels of significance are reported in Table 4. The AngII and Ang1–7 synthesis pathways are outlined (b). Transcripts encoding the enzymes and precursors classically involved in the synthesis of AngII and Ang1–7 were identified in young rat stellate ganglia (b), where the relevant transcripts included Angiotensinogen (Agt), Renin (Ren) and the Angiotensin Converting Enzymes (Ace, Ace2). The transcripts for AngII receptors type 1 and 2 (Agtr1a, Agtr1b, Agtr2) and for the Ang1–7 receptor Mas (Mas1) were also observed (c). Transcript abundances were not found to be differentially expressed in preSHR vs. Wistar ganglia, with the exception of Agtr1a that was significantly downregulated in the preSHR stellate ganglia (p. adj = 3.72 × 10⁻⁸, Salmon-DESeq2 method [85,86]).