Department of Morphology and Embryology, University of Ferrara, Italy.
J Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone Syst. 2012 Mar;13(1):202-9. doi: 10.1177/1470320311426023. Epub 2011 Nov 2.
A new arm of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been recently characterized; this includes angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)2 and angiotensin (Ang)1-7, a heptapeptide acting through the Mas receptor (MasR). Recent studies show that Ang1-7 has an antiproliferative action on lung adenocarcinoma cells. The aim of this study was to characterize RAS expression in human colon adenocarcinoma and to investigate whether Ang1-7 exerts an antiproliferative effect on human colon adenocarcinoma cells.
Gene, protein expression and enzymatic activity of the main components of the RAS were determined on non-neoplastic colon mucosa as well as on the tumor mass and the mucosa taken 5 cm distant from it, both collected from patients with colon adenocarcinoma. Two different human colon cancer cell lines were treated with AngII and Ang1-7.
The novel finding of this study was that MasR was significantly upregulated in colon adenocarcinoma compared with non-neoplastic colon mucosa, which showed little or no expression of it. ACE gene expression and enzymatic activity were also increased in the tumors. However, AngII and Ang1-7 did not have any pro-/antiproliferative effects in the cell lines studied.
The data suggest that upregulation of the MasR could be used as a diagnostic marker of colon adenocarcinoma.
肾素-血管紧张素系统（RAS）的一个新分支最近被描述；这包括血管紧张素转换酶（ACE）2和血管紧张素（Ang）1-7，一种通过 Mas 受体（MasR）发挥作用的七肽。最近的研究表明，Ang1-7 对肺腺癌细胞具有抗增殖作用。本研究的目的是描述人类结肠腺癌中 RAS 的表达，并研究 Ang1-7 是否对人结肠腺癌细胞具有抗增殖作用。
在非肿瘤性结肠黏膜以及肿瘤组织和距其 5cm 处的黏膜上测定 RAS 主要成分的基因、蛋白表达和酶活性，这些标本均取自结肠腺癌患者。用 AngII 和 Ang1-7 处理两种不同的人结肠癌细胞系。
本研究的新发现是，MasR 在结肠腺癌中的表达明显高于非肿瘤性结肠黏膜，后者表达很少或没有。ACE 基因表达和酶活性也在肿瘤中增加。然而，在研究的细胞系中，AngII 和 Ang1-7 没有任何促/抗增殖作用。
数据表明，MasR 的上调可用作结肠腺癌的诊断标志物。
