Fritz L C, Haidar M A, Arfsten A E, Schilling J W, Carilli C, Shine J, Baxter J D, Reudelhuber T L
J Biol Chem. 1987 Sep 15;262(26):12409-12.
Renin is formed by intracellular processing of prorenin and catalyzes the conversion of angiotensinogen to angiotensin I, the precursor to angiotensin II. Several tissues synthesize prorenin. However, in man, the kidney is the only known source of circulating renin, raising the possibility that the processing enzyme is unique to that tissue. We have transfected a gene that directs prorenin synthesis in pituitary AtT-20 cells, which are capable of processing other prohormones. The results demonstrate that transfected AtT-20 cells can secrete inactive prorenin, accurately process prorenin to active renin, and be stimulated to release active renin in response to a secretagogue. These data imply that cellular elements capable of directing the processing of prorenin to renin and its correct subcellular compartmentalization may be present in nonrenal cell types and that critical elements of the regulated release of renin that occur in the kidney can be reconstituted in cells in culture.
肾素由血管紧张素原酶原经细胞内加工形成，催化血管紧张素原转化为血管紧张素I，即血管紧张素II的前体。几种组织可合成血管紧张素原酶原。然而，在人类中，肾脏是循环肾素唯一已知的来源，这增加了加工酶是该组织所特有的可能性。我们已将一个指导血管紧张素原酶原在垂体AtT - 20细胞中合成的基因进行转染，该细胞能够加工其他前体激素。结果表明，转染后的AtT - 20细胞可分泌无活性的血管紧张素原酶原，将血管紧张素原酶原准确加工为活性肾素，并能被促分泌剂刺激释放活性肾素。这些数据表明，能够指导血管紧张素原酶原加工为肾素及其正确亚细胞定位的细胞成分可能存在于非肾细胞类型中，并且肾脏中发生的肾素调节释放的关键成分可在培养细胞中重建。
