Corin: new insights into the natriuretic peptide system.
Natriuretic peptides are important in regulating salt and body-fluid balance. In cells, these peptides are made as precursor forms that are converted to active forms by proteolyic processing. Corin is a transmembrane serine protease identified in the heart. Corin converts pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (pro-ANP) to active ANP in a sequence-specific manner. In mice, lack of corin prevents the conversion of pro-ANP to ANP and causes salt-sensitive hypertension. The hypertensive phenotype is exacerbated when the mice become pregnant. In humans, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the corin gene have been identified in African Americans with hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. These data indicate that corin is important in maintaining normal blood pressure in vivo and that corin deficiency may contribute to hypertension and heart disease in patients.
Wu
Qingyu
Q
Department of Molecular Cardiology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. wuq@ccf.org
Xu-Cai
Ye Olivia
YO
Chen
Shenghan
S
Wang
Wei
W
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D045265:Natriuretic Peptides / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology
D045265:Natriuretic Peptides