Angiotensinogen, a member of the serpin family, is involved in the suppression of tumor growth and metastasis. To investigate whether human angiotensinogen protects against tumor progression in vivo, we established an original bitransgenic model in which transgenic mice expressing human angiotensinogen (Hu-AGT-TG mice) were crossed with a transgenic mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC-...

This study demonstrates that a novel angiotensin I analog, angiotensinogen 3-11(Lys(11)), possesses a high affinity for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which is substantially greater than the endogenous substrates. This assessment is based on data derived from a variety of techniques. First, the binding characteristics of (125)I-angiotensinogen 3-11(Lys(11)) were examined. Equilibrium satu...

Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by the onset of hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) and presence proteinuria (>300 mg/L/24 h urine) or other maternal organ dysfunctions. During human PE, renal injuries have been observed. Some studies suggest that women with PE diagnosis an increased risk to develop diseases later in life. However, as a single cause this development cannot be investigated. Here, ...

The mechanism of activation of local renal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has not been clarified in diabetes mellitus (DM). We hypothesized that the local renal RAS will be activated via increased glomerular filtration and tubular uptake of prorenin and angiotensinogen in diabetic kidney with microalbuminuria. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM and control rats were injected with human prorenin an...

One approach to establish the existence and functionality of a brain angiotensin system is to demonstrate selective alterations in that system following perturbation of peripheral cardiovascular functions. The present study utilized this approach to quantify regional angiotensinogen levels in the rat brain following bilateral nephrectomy, a perturbation that severely disrupts salt and water hom...

INTRODUCTION We aimed to examine the regulation of aquaporin 1 expression in an angiotensinogen transgenic mouse model, focusing on underlying mechanisms. METHODS Male transgenic mice overexpressing rat angiotensinogen in their renal proximal tubular cells (RPTCs) and rat immortalised RPTCs stably transfected with rat angiotensinogen cDNA were used. RESULTS Angiotensinogen-transgenic mice d...

Recent data demonstrate the existence of a vascular renin angiotensin system. In this study we examine the localization of angiotensinogen mRNA in the blood vessel wall of two rat strains, the Wistar and Wistar Kyoto (WKY), as well as the regulation of vascular angiotensinogen mRNA expression by dietary sodium. Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization histochemistry demonstrate that in ...

PURPOSE Urinary angiotensinogen has been reported as a marker for the activation of intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in various kidney diseases. To investigate the importance of urinary angiotensinogen in diabetic nephropathy, we compared the urinary levels of angiotensinogen, albumin, and α1-microglobulin. MATERIALS AND METHODS Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes at various stage...

The presence of a renin-angiotensin system in the central nervous system (CNS) has been demonstrated by several investigators, but little is known regarding the origin of its components. In this study we have compared the immunological and physical-chemical nature of angiotensinogen in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of human subjects and explored whether differences are present in CSF ang...

BACKGROUND There have been no reports on the presence of the tissue renin-angiotensin system in the human heart, although the presence of angiotensinogen has been described in the animal heart. METHODS AND RESULTS To determine whether angiotensinogen is synthesized in the human heart, we examined angiotensinogen messenger RNA (mRNA) synthesis in autopsy hearts by using ribonuclease protection...