Project description:Preeclampsia complicates more than 3% of all pregnancies in the United States and Europe. High-risk populations include women with diabetes, dyslipidemia, thrombotic disorders, hyperhomocysteinemia, hypertension, renal diseases, previous preeclampsia, twin pregnancies, and low socioeconomic status. In the latter case, the incidence may increase to 20% to 25%. Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Preeclampsia is defined by systolic blood pressure of more than 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of more than 90 mm Hg after 20 weeks gestation in a previously normotensive patient, and new-onset proteinuria. Abnormal placentation associated with shallow trophoblast invasion (fetal cells from outer cell layer of the blastocyst) into endometrium (decidua) and improper spiral artery remodeling in the decidua are initial pathological steps. In this study we analyzed the renin-angiotensin system in adipose tissue, decidua and placenta from women with uneventful pregnancy and women with preeclampsia. We also analyzed the tissue by Affymetrix chips in a comparison study (control vs. preeclampsia) Keywords: disease comparison, disease state
Project description:Improper regulation of signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) by angiotensin II (AngII) can lead to hypertension, vascular hypertrophy and atherosclerosis. The extent to which the homeostatic levels of the components of signaling networks are regulated through microRNAs (miRNA) modulated by AngII type 1 receptor (AT1R) in VSMCs is not fully understood. Whether AT1R blockers used to treat vascular disorders modulate expression of miRNAs is also not known. To report differential miRNA expression following AT1R activation by AngII, we performed microarray analysis in 23 biological and technical replicates derived from humans, rats and mice. Profiling data revealed a robust regulation of miRNA expression by AngII through AT1R, but not the AngII type 2 receptor (AT2R). The AT1R-specific blockers, losartan and candesartan antagonized >90% of AT1R-regulated miRNAs and AngII-activated AT2R did not modulate their expression. We discovered VSMC-specific modulation of 22 miRNAs by AngII, and validated AT1R-mediated regulation of 17 of those miRNAs by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. We selected miR-483-3p as a novel representative candidate for further study because mRNAs of multiple components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) were predicted to contain the target sequence for this miRNA. MiR-483-3p inhibited the expression of luciferase reporters bearing 3'-UTRs of four different RAS genes and the inhibition was reversed by antagomir-483-3p. The AT1R-regulated expression levels of angiotensinogen and angiotensin converting enzyme 1 (ACE-1) proteins in VSMCs are modulated specifically by miR-483-3p. Our study demonstrates that the AT1R-regulated miRNA expression fingerprint is conserved in VSMCs of humans and rodents. Furthermore, we identify the AT1R-regulated miR-483-3p as a potential negative regulator of steady-state levels of RAS components in VSMCs. Thus, miRNA-regulation by AngII to affect cellular signaling is a novel aspect of RAS biology, which may lead to discovery of potential candidate prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.
Project description:Renin is an aspartyl protease essential for the control of blood pressure and was long suspected to have cellular receptors. We report the expression cloning of the human renin receptor complementary DNA encoding a 350-amino acid protein with a single transmembrane domain and no homology with any known membrane protein. Transfected cells stably expressing the receptor showed renin- and prorenin-specific binding. The binding of renin induced a fourfold increase of the catalytic efficiency of angiotensinogen conversion to angiotensin I and induced an intracellular signal with phosphorylation of serine and tyrosine residues associated to an activation of MAP kinases ERK1 and ERK2. High levels of the receptor mRNA are detected in the heart, brain, placenta, and lower levels in the kidney and liver. By confocal microscopy the receptor is localized in the mesangium of glomeruli and in the subendothelium of coronary and kidney artery, associated to smooth muscle cells and colocalized with renin. The renin receptor is the first described for an aspartyl protease. This discovery emphasizes the role of the cell surface in angiotensin II generation and opens new perspectives on the tissue renin-angiotensin system and on renin effects independent of angiotensin II.
Project description:The (pro)renin receptor is a newly discovered member of the brain renin-angiotensin system. To investigate the role of brain (pro)renin receptor in hypertension, adeno-associated virus-mediated (pro)renin receptor short hairpin RNA was used to knockdown (pro)renin receptor expression in the brain of nontransgenic normotensive and human renin-angiotensinogen double-transgenic hypertensive mice. Blood pressure was monitored using implanted telemetric probes in conscious animals. Real-time PCR and immunostaining were performed to determine (pro)renin receptor, angiotensin II type 1 receptor, and vasopressin mRNA levels. Plasma vasopressin levels were determined by ELISA. Double-transgenic mice exhibited higher blood pressure, elevated cardiac and vascular sympathetic tone, and impaired spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity. Intracerebroventricular delivery of (pro)renin receptor short-hairpin RNA significantly reduced blood pressure, cardiac and vasomotor sympathetic tone, and improved baroreflex sensitivity compared with the control virus treatment in double-transgenic mice. (Pro)renin receptor knockdown significantly reduced angiotensin II type 1 receptor and vasopressin levels in double-transgenic mice. These data indicate that (pro)renin receptor knockdown in the brain attenuates angiotensin II-dependent hypertension and is associated with a decrease in sympathetic tone and an improvement of the baroreflex sensitivity. In addition, brain-targeted (pro)renin receptor knockdown is associated with downregulation of angiotensin II type 1 receptor and vasopressin levels. We conclude that central (pro)renin receptor contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension in human renin-angiotensinogen transgenic mice.
Project description:Distal nephron renin may provide a possible pathway for angiotensin (Ang) I generation from proximally delivered angiotensinogen. To examine the effects of Ang II on distal nephron renin, we compared renin protein and mRNA expression in control and Ang II-infused rats. Kidneys from sham (n=9) and Ang II-infused (80 ng/kg per minute, 13 days, n=10) Sprague-Dawley rats were processed by immunohistochemistry, Western blot, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Ang II infusion increased systolic blood pressure (181+/-4 versus 115+/-5 mm Hg) and suppressed plasma and kidney cortex renin activity. Renin immunoreactivity was suppressed in juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA) cells in Ang II-infused rats compared with sham (0.1+/-0.1 versus 1.0+/-0.1 relative ratio) but increased in distal nephron segments (6.4+/-1.4 versus 1.0+/-0.1 cortex; 2.5+/-0.3 versus 1.0+/-0.2 medulla). Tubular renin immunostaining was apically distributed in principal cells colocalizing with aquaporin-2 in connecting tubules and cortical and medullary collecting ducts. Renin protein levels were decreased in the kidney cortex of Ang II-infused rats compared with that of sham (0.4+/-0.2 versus 1.0+/-0.4) rats but higher in the kidney medulla (1.2+/-0.4 versus 1.0+/-0.1). In kidney medulla, RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR showed similar levels of renin transcript in both groups. In summary, the detection of renin mRNA in the renal medulla, which is devoid of JGA, indicates local synthesis rather than an uptake of JGA renin. In contrast to the inhibitory effect of Ang II on JGA renin, Ang II infusion stimulates renin protein expression in collecting ducts and maintains renin transcriptional levels in the medulla, which may contribute to the increased intrarenal Ang II levels in Ang II-dependent hypertension.
Project description:The circulating, endocrine renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is important to circulatory homeostasis, while ubiquitous tissue and cellular RAS play diverse roles, including metabolic regulation. Indeed, inhibition of RAS is associated with improved cellular oxidative capacity. Recently it has been suggested that an intra-mitochondrial RAS directly impacts on metabolism. Here we sought to rigorously explore this hypothesis. Radiolabelled ligand-binding and unbiased proteomic approaches were applied to purified mitochondrial sub-fractions from rat liver, and the impact of AngII on mitochondrial function assessed. Whilst high-affinity AngII binding sites were found in the mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM) fraction, no RAS components could be detected in purified mitochondria. Moreover, AngII had no effect on the function of isolated mitochondria at physiologically relevant concentrations. We thus found no evidence of endogenous mitochondrial AngII production, and conclude that the effects of AngII on cellular energy metabolism are not mediated through its direct binding to mitochondrial targets.
Project description:A collective century of discoveries establishes the importance of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system in maintaining blood pressure, fluid volume and electrolyte homeostasis via autocrine, paracrine and endocrine signaling. While research continues to yield new functions of angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7), the gap between basic research and clinical application of these new findings is widening. As data accumulates on the efficacy of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers as drugs of fundamental importance in the treatment of cardiovascular and renal disorders, it is becoming apparent that the achieved clinical benefits is suboptimal and surprisingly no different than what can be achieved with other therapeutic interventions. We discuss this issue and summarize new pathways and mechanisms effecting the synthesis and actions of angiotensin II. The presence of renin-independent non-canonical pathways for angiotensin II production are largely unaffected by agents inhibiting renin angiotensin system activity. Hence, new efforts should be directed to develop drugs that can effectively block the synthesis and/or action of intracellular angiotensin II. Improved drug penetration into cardiac or renal sites of disease, inhibiting chymase the primary angiotensin II forming enzyme in the human heart, and/or inhibiting angiotensinogen synthesis would all be more effective strategies to inhibit the system. Additionally, given the role of angiotensin II in the maintenance of renal homeostatic mechanisms, any new inhibitor should possess greater selectivity of targeting pathogenic angiotensin II signaling processes and thereby limit inappropriate inhibition.
Project description:The postnatal development of the mouse is characterized by a stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP), where basal corticosterone levels are low and responsiveness to mild stressors is reduced. Maternal separation is able to disrupt the SHRP and is widely used to model early trauma. In this study we aimed at identifying of brain systems involved in acute and possible long-term effects of maternal separation. We conducted a microarray-based gene expression analysis in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus after maternal separation, which revealed 52 differently regulated genes compared to undisturbed controls, among them are 37 up-regulated and 15 down-regulated genes. One of the prominently unregulated genes, angiotensinogen, was validated using a in-situ hybridization. Angiotensinogen is the precursor of angiotensin II the main effector of the brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which is known to be involved in stress system modulation in adult animals. Using the selective angiotensin type I receptor (AT(1)) antagonist candesartan we found strong effects on CRH and GR mRNA expression in the brain and ACTH release following maternal separation. AT(1) receptor blockade appears to enhance central effects of maternal separation in the neonate, suggesting a suppressing function of brain RAS during the SHRP. Taken together, our results illustrate the molecular adaptations that occur in the paraventricular nucleus following maternal separation and identify signaling cascades, that control stress system activity in the neonate. Keywords: phenotype Litters were randomly assigned to either a maternally non-separated or 24 hour maternally separated condition. At the time of testing, all pups from a litter were sacrificed immediately by decapitation.
Project description:Aims: Renal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 receptor (AT1R) blockade elevates (pro)renin, which may bind to (pro)renin receptor (PRR) and exert receptor-mediated, angiotensin-independent profibrotic effects. We therefore investigated whether PRR activation leads to the limited anti-fibrotic effects of AT1R blockade on DN, and whether PRR inhibition might ameliorate progression of DN. Methods: To address the issue, the expression of RAS components was tested in different stages of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats (6, 12, and 24 weeks) and 6-week AT1R blockade (losartan) treated diabetic rats. Using the blocker for PRR, the handle region peptide (HRP) of prorenin, the effects of PRR on high glucose or Ang II-induced proliferative and profibrotic actions were evaluated by measurement of cell proliferation, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity, activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and transforming growth factor-?1 (TGF-?1) expression in rat mesangial cells (MCs). Results: PRR was downregulated in the kidneys of different stages of diabetic rats (6, 12, and 24 weeks). Moreover, 6-week losartan treatment further suppressed PRR expression via upregulating AT2R, and ameliorated diabetic renal injury. HRP inhibited high glucose and Ang II-induced proliferative and profibrotic effects in MCs through suppressing TGF-?1 expression and activating MMP-2. Meanwhile, HRP enhanced losartan's anti-fibrotic effects through further inhibiting phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and TGF-?1 expression. Moreover, the inhibitive effect of HRP on Ang II-induced TGF-?1 expression depended on the regulation of PRR expression by AT2R. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that inhibition of PRR contributes to renoprotection against diabetic nephropathy by AT1R blockade.
Project description:Obesity has been shown to promote renin-angiotensin system activity and inflammation in the brain and to be accompanied by increased sympathetic activity and blood pressure. Our previous studies demonstrated that administration of a subpressor dose of angiotensin (Ang) II sensitizes subsequent Ang II-elicited hypertension. The present study tested whether high-fat diet (HFD) feeding also sensitizes the Ang II-elicited hypertensive response and whether HFD-induced sensitization is mediated by an increase in renin-angiotensin system activity and inflammatory mechanisms in the brain. HFD did not increase baseline blood pressure, but enhanced the hypertensive response to Ang II compared with a normal-fat diet. The sensitization produced by the HFD was abolished by concomitant central infusions of either a tumor necrosis factor-? synthesis inhibitor, pentoxifylline, an Ang II type 1 receptor blocker, irbesartan, or an inhibitor of microglial activation, minocycline. Furthermore, central pretreatment with tumor necrosis factor-? mimicked the sensitizing action of a central subpressor dose of Ang II, whereas central pentoxifylline or minocycline abolished this Ang II-induced sensitization. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of lamina terminalis tissue indicated that HFD feeding, central tumor necrosis factor-?, or a central subpressor dose of Ang II upregulated mRNA expression of several components of the renin-angiotensin system and proinflammatory cytokines, whereas inhibition of Ang II type 1 receptor and of inflammation reversed these changes. The results suggest that HFD-induced sensitization of Ang II-elicited hypertension is mediated by upregulation of the brain renin-angiotensin system and of central proinflammatory cytokines.