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Brain-selective overexpression of human Angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 attenuates neurogenic hypertension.

ABSTRACT: RATIONALE:Angiotensin converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2) is a new member of the brain renin-angiotensin system, that might be activated by an overactive renin-angiotensin system. OBJECTIVE:To clarify the role of central ACE2 using a new transgenic mouse model with human (h)ACE2 under the control of a synapsin promoter, allowing neuron-targeted expression in the central nervous system. METHODS AND RESULTS:Syn-hACE2 (SA) transgenic mice exhibit high hACE2 protein expression and activity throughout the brain. Baseline hemodynamic parameters (telemetry), autonomic function, and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (SBRS) were not significantly different between SA mice and nontransgenic littermates. Brain-targeted ACE2 overexpression attenuated the development of neurogenic hypertension (Ang II infusion: 600 ng/kg per minute for 14 days) and the associated reduction of both SBRS and parasympathetic tone. This prevention of hypertension by ACE2 overexpression was reversed by blockade of the Ang-(1-7) receptor (d-Ala7-Ang-[1-7]; 600 ng/kg per minute). Brain angiotensin II type 2 (AT(2))/AT(1) and Mas/AT(1) receptor ratios were significantly increased in SA mice. They remained higher following Ang II infusion but were dramatically reduced after Ang-(1-7) receptor blockade. ACE2 overexpression resulted in increased NOS and NO levels in the brain, and prevented the Ang II-mediated decrease in NOS expression in regions modulating blood pressure regulation. CONCLUSIONS:ACE2 overexpression attenuates the development of neurogenic hypertension partially by preventing the decrease in both SBRS and parasympathetic tone. These protective effects might be mediated by enhanced NO release in the brain resulting from Mas and AT(2) receptor upregulation. Taken together, our data highlight the compensatory role of central ACE2 and its potential benefits as a therapeutic target for neurogenic hypertension.

SUBMITTER: Feng Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2818798 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Brain-selective overexpression of human Angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 attenuates neurogenic hypertension.

Feng Yumei Y Xia Huijing H Cai Yanhui Y Halabi Carmen M CM Becker Lenice K LK Santos Robson A S RA Speth Robert C RC Sigmund Curt D CD Lazartigues Eric E

Circulation research 20091119 2

<h4>Rationale</h4>Angiotensin converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2) is a new member of the brain renin-angiotensin system, that might be activated by an overactive renin-angiotensin system.<h4>Objective</h4>To clarify the role of central ACE2 using a new transgenic mouse model with human (h)ACE2 under the control of a synapsin promoter, allowing neuron-targeted expression in the central nervous system.<h4>Methods and results</h4>Syn-hACE2 (SA) transgenic mice exhibit high hACE2 protein expression and ...[more]

PMID: 19926873

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Project description:Overactivity of the renin-angiotensin system, oxidative stress, and cyclooxygenases (COX) in the brain are implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension. We previously reported that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) overexpression in the brain attenuates the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension, a neurogenic hypertension model with enhanced brain renin-angiotensin system and sympathetic activity. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, we investigated whether oxidative stress, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and cyclooxygenase (COX) activation in the brain are modulated by ACE2 in neurogenic hypertension. Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension significantly increased expression of Nox-2 (+61±5%), Nox-4 (+50±13%), and nitrotyrosine (+89±32%) and reduced activity of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (-29±4%) and superoxide dismutase (-31±7%), indicating increased oxidative stress in the brain of nontransgenic mice. This increased oxidative stress was attenuated in transgenic mice overexpressing ACE2 in the brain. Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt-induced reduction of neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression (-26±7%) and phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase/total endothelial nitric oxide synthase (-30±3%), and enhanced phosphorylation of protein kinase B and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in the paraventricular nucleus, were reversed by ACE2 overexpression. In addition, ACE2 overexpression blunted the hypertension-mediated increase in gene and protein expression of COX-1 and COX-2 in the paraventricular nucleus. Furthermore, gene silencing of either COX-1 or COX-2 in the brain, reduced microglial activation and accompanied neuroinflammation, ultimately attenuating Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension. Together, these data provide evidence that brain ACE2 overexpression reduces oxidative stress and COX-mediated neuroinflammation, improves antioxidant and nitric oxide signaling, and thereby attenuates the development of neurogenic hypertension.

Project description:Evolution of glomerulonephritis (GN) to tubulointerstitial disease is a universal antecedent to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). There is also evidence that angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition may attenuate the development of CKD in some forms of glomerulonephritis. We tested the role of ACE inhibition in a model of GN in which complement-dependent tubulointerstitial disease develops. GN was induced in C57BL/6 mice with intraperitoneal injections of horse spleen apoferritin (HSA) using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an adjuvant. Four groups of six animals were studied: saline-injected control mice treated with captopril or water, and GN mice treated with captopril or water. GN developed in all HSA-treated animals. In those receiving captopril, however, proteinuria (albumin/creatinine ratio) was significantly reduced by captopril treatment. Array screening was used to examined the expression of collagen-related genes and determine if these effects could be mediated by regulation of collagen genes. Six genes were identified for further analysis by quantitative RT-PCR. This model demonstrates that tubulointerstitial disease can be attenuated by ACE inhibition, with clinical, histologic, and gene expression measures. All protocols were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at SUNY Upstate Medical University. We employed four groups of six mice each: saline-injected control mice with and without captopril, and GN with and without captopril. C57BL/6 mice were purchased from The Jackson Laboratories (Bar Harbor, ME). Glomerulonephritis (GN) was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 10 mg of apoferritin from horse spleen (HSA, Sigma, St. Louis, MO) five days per week, with i.p. injection of 100 micrograms lipopolysaccharide (LPS, from Salmonella minnesota; EMD Biosciences, La Jolla, CA), as adjuvant, three times per week. Control animals received equal volumes of 0.15 M NaCl by i.p. injection. Injections were begun when the mice were approximately eight weeks of age and were continued for six weeks. Captopril, at 100 mg/kg/day was given in the drinking water. After 9 weeks, the animals were euthanized and kidneys were removed for RNA purification and analysis.

Project description:The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a two-domain dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase, which has a direct involvement in the control of blood pressure by performing the hydrolysis of angiotensin I to produce angiotensin II. At the same time, ACE hydrolyzes other substrates such as the vasodilator peptide bradykinin and the anti-inflammatory peptide N-acetyl-SDKP. In this sense, ACE inhibitors are bioactive substances with potential use as medicinal products for treatment or prevention of hypertension, heart failures, myocardial infarction, and other important diseases. This review examined the most recent literature reporting ACE inhibitors with the help of molecular modeling. The examples exposed here demonstrate that molecular modeling methods, including docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), etc, are essential for a complete structural picture of the mode of action of ACE inhibitors, where molecular docking has a key role. Examples show that too many works identified ACE inhibitory activities of natural peptides and peptides obtained from hydrolysates. In addition, other works report non-peptide compounds extracted from natural sources and synthetic compounds. In all these cases, molecular docking was used to provide explanation of the chemical interactions between inhibitors and the ACE binding sites. For docking applications, most of the examples exposed here do not consider that: (i) ACE has two domains (nACE and cACE) with available X-ray structures, which are relevant for the design of selective inhibitors, and (ii) nACE and cACE binding sites have large dimensions, which leads to non-reliable solutions during docking calculations. In support of the solution of these problems, the structural information found in Protein Data Bank (PDB) was used to perform an interaction fingerprints (IFPs) analysis applied on both nACE and cACE domains. This analysis provides plots that identify the chemical interactions between ligands and both ACE binding sites, which can be used to guide docking experiments in the search of selective natural components or novel drugs. In addition, the use of hydrogen bond constraints in the S2 and S2' subsites of nACE and cACE are suggested to guarantee that docking solutions are reliable.

Dataset Information

Brain-selective overexpression of human Angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 attenuates neurogenic hypertension.

Publications

Brain-selective overexpression of human Angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 attenuates neurogenic hypertension.

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