BACKGROUND The physiological effects of ACE inhibitors may act in part through a kinin-dependent mechanism. We investigated the effect of chronic ACE-inhibitor treatment on functional kinin B(1)- and B(2)-receptor expression, which are the molecular entities responsible for the biological effects of kinins. METHODS AND RESULTS Rats were subjected to different 6-week treatments using various m...

Our cross-sectional study showed that the interaction between apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors was associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this longitudinal study was to differentiate whether ACE inhibitors accelerate or reduce the risk of AD in the context of ApoE alleles. Using the longitudinal data from the National Alzheimer's Coordin...

BACKGROUND angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphism is considered a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the associations of ACE gene and protein level to AD are undetermined among Taiwanese. METHODS this study investigated 257 Taiwanese cases with AD and 137 ethnically matched controls using ACE gene indel genotype association methods with ...

OBJECTIVE Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) causes a potentially lethal disease named cholera. The cholera enterotoxin (CT) is a major virulence factor of V. cholerae. In addition to CT, V. cholerae produces other putative toxins, such as the zonula occludens toxin (Zot) and accessory cholera enterotoxin (Ace). The ace gene is the third gene of the V. cholerae virulence cassette. The Ace toxin alte...

OBJECTIVE A silencer region (I-allele) within intron 16 of the gene for the regulator of vascular perfusion, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), is implicated in phenotypic variation of aerobic fitness and the development of type II diabetes. We hypothesised that the reportedly lower aerobic performance in non-carriers compared to carriers of the ACE I-allele, i.e. ACE-DD vs. ACE-ID/ACE-II gen...

There is uncertainty about the contribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) to angiotensin II formation, with recent studies suggesting that non-ACE enzymes may be the predominant pathway of angiotensin II formation in kidney, heart, and lung. To investigate the role of ACE in angiotensin II formation, we measured angiotensin I and II levels in blood, kidney, and heart of 2 mouse genetic...

It has recently been reported that the synaptic acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in mosquitoes is encoded by the ace-1 gene, distinct and divergent from the ace-2 gene, which performs this function in Drosophila. This is an unprecedented situation within the Diptera order because both ace genes derive from an old duplication and are present in most insects and arthropods. Nevertheless, Drosophila po...

Gender differences have been described in the response of the cardiovascular system to a number of stimuli, including ventricular remodeling in response to pressure overload, but the molecular basis for these differences remains unclear. Because gender differences in the cardiac expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) could contribute to differences in myocardial remodeling, we examin...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) generates the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II, which plays a critical role in maintenance of blood pressure in mammals. Although significant ACE activity is found in plasma, the majority of the enzyme is bound to tissues such as the vascular endothelium. We used targeted homologous recombination to create mice expressing a form of ACE that lacks the COOH-termi...

A clustering of high levels of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (S-ACE) was found in an Italian family. The elevation affected five subjects, two of whom were completely healthy and free from known causes of S-ACE increase. The values of S-ACE in hyperACEmic subjects exceeded the values found in normal relatives severalfold. HyperACEmia seemed to be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. ...