ROME , March 9 (UPI) -- Two Italian scientists say the protein Emilin1 is key to a breakthrough in the study of high blood pressure, which affects one-third of the world's population. Researchers have known as much as 50 percent of the variations in blood pressure levels are caused by hereditary mechanisms , but until now the molecules involved in those processes had not been identified. Now Stefano Piccolo of Padua University and Rome University's Giuseppe Lembo have determined a cell protein called Emilin1, when removed from a group of mice , caused the mice's blood cells to grow abnormally, becoming narrower and raising their blood pressure, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Thursday. The scientists say they believe Emilin1 works by regulating the availability of a growth factor called TGF-beta, which has been implicated in the development of tumors, as well as arteriosclerosis and fibrosis. The research is detailed in the scientific journal Cell.

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