Angiotensin II content in the kidney is much higher than in the plasma, and it increases more in kidney diseases through an uncertain mechanism. Because the kidney abundantly expresses angiotensinogen mRNA, transcriptional dysregulation of angiotensinogen within the kidney is one potential cause of increased renal angiotensin II in the setting of disease. Here, we observed that kidney-specific ...

BACKGROUND Angiotensin II promotes growth of vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro via the autocrine production of growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and transforming growth factor-beta. Furthermore, experimental studies have demonstrated that angiotensin infusion can enhance smooth muscle proliferation after balloon injury in vivo. Consistent...

Kobori H, Katsurada A, Miyata K, Ohashi N, Satou R, Saito T, Hagiwara Y, Miyashita K, Navar LG. Determination of plasma and urinary angiotensinogen levels in rodents by newly developed ELISA. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 294: F1257–F1263, 2008. First published March 19, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00588.2007.—We recently reported that urinary excretion rates of angiotensinogen provide a specific i...

This paper describes the first case of an angiotensinogen-producing tumor. The tumor obtained from a hypertensive patient was examined for its renin and angiotensinogen contents. Renin activity was undetectable; however, the angiotensinogen level was extremely high compared with the levels in the tissue surrounding the hepatoma. The presence of angiotensinogen immunoreactivity in the tumor cell...

BACKGROUND Angiotensinogen is the substrate for renin in the system that releases angiotensin II. This renin-angiotensin system is an important regulator of blood pressure (BP), and defects in the system are linked to the development of hypertension. Native angiotensinogen is a 62,000-dalton monomer, but various high molecular weight forms also exist, which have not been well characterized. Hig...