Genotypes of Stim1 and the proximal region on chromosome 1 exert opposite effects on stroke susceptibility in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat

Background:The stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) is a genetic model for cerebral stroke. Although a recent study on a congenic SHRSP suggested that a nonsense mutation in stromal interaction molecule 1 (Stim1) encoding a major component of store-operated Ca2+ entry was a causal variant for stroke in SHRSP, this was not conclusive because the congenic region including Stim1 in that rat was too wide. On the other hand, we demonstrated that the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY)-derived congenic fragment adjacent to Stim1 exacerbated stroke susceptibility in a congenic SHRSP called SPwch1.71. In the present study, we directly examined the effects of the Stim1 genotype on stroke susceptibility using SHRSP in which wild-type Stim1 was knocked in (called Stim1-KI SHRSP). The combined effects of Stim1 and the congenic fragment of SPwch1.71 were also investigated.Methods:Stroke susceptibility was assessed by the stroke symptom-free and survival periods based on observations of behavioral symptoms and reductions in body weight.Results:Stim1-KI SHRSP was more resistant to, while SPwch1.71 was more susceptible to stroke than the original SHRSP. Introgression of the wild-type Stim1 of Stim1-KI SHRSP into SPwch1.71 by the generation of F1 rats ameliorated stroke susceptibility in SPwch1.71. Gene expression, whole-genome sequencing, and biochemical analyses identified Art2b, Folr1, and Pde2a as possible candidate genes accelerating stroke in SPwch1.71.Conclusion:The substitution of SHRSP-type Stim1 to wild-type Stim1 ameliorated stroke susceptibility in both SHRSP and SPwch1.71, indicating that the nonsense mutation in Stim1 is causally related to stroke susceptibility in SHRSP.