Recently, the important role of the spleen function in hypertension development was demonstrated. In this study, the genetic control of absolute and relative spleen weight was investigated to reveal the genetic loci common for spleen traits and for arterial blood pressure at rest and under the emotional stress conditions in the ISIAH rats with inherited stress-induced arterial hypertension. The search for genetic loci for absolute and relative spleen weight was performed on 6-month old F2 (ISIAH x WAG) hybrid males derived from a cross of hypertensive ISIAH and normotensive WAG rats. One significant QTL mapped on chromosome 1 and 5 suggestive loci were found for relative spleen weight. Four suggestive loci were detected for absolute spleen weight. All detected loci were novel. The significant QTL on chromosome 1 was common for relative spleen weight and arterial blood pressure at rest and under the emotional stress conditions in ISIAH rats. The results suggest that the manifestation ofthe stress-sensitive arterial hypertension in ISIAH rats may be related to the changes in genetic control of the spleen function.