Preprint names osteopontin as candidate gene for inherited cardiac hypertrophy in rat model

Left ventricular hypertrophy — thickening of the main pumping chamber of the heart — is a heritable trait that increases risk of cardiovascular disease and is associated with cardiometabolic and renal conditions. A preprint posted to bioRxiv on 27 August 2026 reports findings from congenic rat strains derived from the spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone (SHRSP) rat, a well-established animal model for cardiovascular genetics research.

The authors used a chromosome 14 congenic strain (WKY.SPGla14a), in which the trait-associated chromosomal region from SHRSP is introduced into the normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) background, alongside cardiac phenotyping and transcriptomic analysis. Their data identify osteopontin — a secreted glycoprotein implicated in cardiac fibrosis and remodelling — as a positional and functional candidate gene at the chromosome 14 quantitative trait locus (QTL) for left ventricular mass index.

The study demonstrates a role for congenic strain methodology in dissecting the genetic basis of polygenic cardiovascular traits and offers a candidate gene for further mechanistic investigation. Osteopontin has previously been associated with cardiac remodelling in human studies, lending the finding translational interest. The preprint has not been peer-reviewed.