Magnesium ion (Mg2+) plays an essential role in various cellular functions. Mg2+ deficiency or abnormal Mg2+ metabolism is related to various cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemic heart disease and arrhythmias. Recently, various candidate genes of Mg2+ transporters are reported, but their functional roles are still unknown. We first treated mice with three kinds of magnesium diets (low-magnesium diet, normal-magnesium diet, or high-magnesium diet) for 4 weeks, and found that the tissue expression levels of several Mg2+ transporters were dependent on magnesium intake. We also found that phenylephrine-induced contraction was attenuated in isolated aorta from low-magnesium-fed mice. Furthermore, to investigate the functional roles of these Mg2+ transporters, we generated several genetically altered mice targeting their Mg2+ transporters. Interestingly, phenylephrine-induced contraction was reduced in isolated aorta from these genetically altered mice. On the other hand, when these genetically altered mice were fed with a high-magnesium diet, the phenylephrine-induced contraction was recovered to normal level. These results suggest that these Mg2+ transporters may play important roles in the maintenance of Mg2+ homeostasis and vascular functions.

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