Recent research conducted with mice without the Vdrgene (which codes for the vitamin D receptor) and the Cyp27B1 gene (which codes for alpha-1-hydroxylase) demonstrated thatthese animals had high levels of renin and, consequently, of angiotensin II,provoking hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. The gene discussed is CYP27B1; the disease is cardiac hypertrophy.