*Review* **Role of Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein (TCTP) in the Development of Hypertension and Related Diseases in Mouse Models**

**Jeehye Maeng and Kyunglim Lee \***

Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea **\*** Correspondence: klyoon@ewha.ac.kr

**Abstract:** Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is a multifunctional protein that plays a wide variety of physiological and pathological roles, including as a cytoplasmic repressor of Na,K-ATPase, an enzyme pivotal in maintaining Na<sup>+</sup> and K<sup>+</sup> ion gradients across the plasma membrane, by binding to and inhibiting Na,K-ATPase. Studies with transgenic mice overexpressing TCTP (TCTP-TG) revealed the pathophysiological significance of TCTP in the development of systemic arterial hypertension. Overexpression of TCTP and inhibition of Na,K-ATPase result in the elevation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels, which increases the vascular contractility in the mice, leading to hypertension. Furthermore, studies using an animal model constructed by multiple mating of TCTP-TG with apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE KO) indicated that TCTP-induced hypertension facilitates the severity of atherosclerotic lesions in vivo. This review attempts to discuss the mechanisms underlying TCTP-induced hypertension and related diseases gleaned from studies using genetically altered animal models and the potential of TCTP as a target in the therapy of hypertension-related pathological conditions.

**Keywords:** ApoE KO; apolipoprotein E knockout mice; atherosclerosis; hypertension; Na,K-ATPase; TCTP; TCTP-overexpressing transgenic mice; translationally controlled tumor protein; TCTP-TG
