title: Functional significance of prorenin internalization in the rat heart.
abstract: Intracardiac renin is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and myocardial infarction. Cardiac renin is predominantly derived from the circulation, because preprorenin is not expressed locally and uptake of renin has been demonstrated. One mechanism of internalization recently described involves the mannose-6-phosphate receptor and requires glycosylation of renin. Based on previous observations, we considered the existence of another pathway of uptake, not requiring glycosylation and predominantly involving prorenin. This hypothesis and its functional consequences were investigated in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that isolated adult cardiomyocytes internalize unglycosylated prorenin, which is followed by the generation of angiotensins. We further show that transgenic rats, expressing the ren-2(d) renin gene in an inducible manner, exhibit markedly enhanced levels of unglycosylated renin within intracellular compartments in the heart as a consequence of the induction of hepatic transgene expression and the rise of circulating unglycosylated prorenin levels. Because in this model severe cardiac damage occurs as a consequence of the rise of circulating prorenin levels, internalization of prorenin into cardiac cells is likely to play a key role in this process.
authors.affiliation: Pharmakologisches Institut der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. joerg.peters@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Raphaela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farrenkopf
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clausmeyer
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: Surasak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kantachuvesiri
authors.forename: Matthew G F
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mullins
mesh_terms: D000809:Angiotensins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004705:Endocytosis; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000809:Angiotensins; D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012083:Renin