Chemical characteristics of a high molecular weight renin from the renal cortex of the dog.

We found an acid extract of normal dog kidneys to contain two distinct molecular weight forms of renin-like activity. Gel filtration chromatography showed peaks of activity as estimated molecular weights of 65,000 and 41,000. The high molecular weight fraction (HMW) comprised only 1% of the total activity of the extract. Both HMW and low molecular weight (LMW) fractions were inhibited by anti-human renin antibody and had similar broad pH-dependent activity optima between pH 6.0 and 7.5 in homologous substrate. The Michaelis constant (Km) of HMW was 3.6 times the Km of LMW. Both renins bound reversibly to concanavalin A-Sepharose with comparable affinities. HMW and LMW eluted from DEAE-Sephadex at similar salt concentrations without conversion of HMW to LMW. Transient acidification effected partial conversion of HMW to LMW without changing the total activity. Preincubation of HMW with trypsin increased the activity 40% and effected complete conversion of HMW to LMW. The apparent molecular weight difference between HMW and LMW is probably due to a covalently bound fragment(s) and not to a noncovalently bound moiety such as has been described in the rabbit and the hog. Both HMW and LMW are glycoproteins whose terminal sugar constituents possibly are similar. HMW dog renin is a new molecular form of renin that is convertible to a more active lower molecular weight renin with tryptic proteolysis.