BACKGROUND We have previously shown that the acute molecular growth response of new protein synthesis and protein kinase C activation in response to angiotensin II (Ang II) is altered in left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy compared with normal hearts. We have also shown an upregulation of Ang II type 2 (AT2) receptors in hypertrophied hearts relative to controls. Activation of AT2 receptors is pr...

We tested the hypothesis that cyclooxygenase (COX), thromboxane A2 synthase (TxA2-S), thromboxane prostanoid receptors (TP-Rs), or superoxide anion (O2-) mediates enhanced contractions of renal afferent arterioles (Aff) of angiotensin II (Ang II)-infused rabbits. Rabbits were infused with vehicle (sham), Ang II 60 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1) (Ang II 60) or 200 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1) (Ang II 200). Ther...

Hyperactivity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system through the angiotensin II (Ang II)/Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1-R) axis constitutes a hallmark of hypertension. Recent findings indicate that only a subset of AT1-R signaling pathways is cardiodeleterious, and their selective inhibition by biased ligands promotes therapeutic benefit. To date, only synthetic biased ligands have been descr...

BACKGROUND We have previously demonstrated that angiotensin II (Ang II) levels in the interstitial fluid (ISF) space of the heart are higher than in the blood plasma and do not change after systemic infusion of Ang I. In this study, we assess the enzymatic mechanisms (chymase versus ACE) by which Ang II is generated in the ISF space of the dog heart in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS Cardiac microd...

PURPOSE To quantify and evaluate the distribution of angiotensin II (Ang II) and its receptors in the human retina. METHODS Donor eyes were obtained within 12 hours postmortem and classified as hypertensive or normotensive and diabetic or nondiabetic, based on the donors' medical histories. Ang II in retina and vitreous was quantified by RIA. Ang II receptors were characterized and quantified...

Intraglomerular ANG II has been linked to glomerular injury. However, little is known about the contribution of podocytes (POD) to intraglomerular ANG II homeostasis. The aim of the present study was to examine the processing of angiotensin substrates by cultured POD. Our approach was to use matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry for peptide det...

Velez JC, Bland AM, Arthur JM, Raymond JR, Janech MG. Characterization of renin-angiotensin system enzyme activities in cultured mouse podocytes. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 293: F398–F407, 2007. First published April 7, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00050.2007.—Intraglomerular ANG II has been linked to glomerular injury. However, little is known about the contribution of podocytes (POD) to intragl...

Recently, a new derivative of angiotensin (Ang) II, called "Ang A," has been discovered to be present in plasma of healthy humans and, in increased concentrations, in end-stage renal failure patients. The objectives of the study were to investigate the blood pressure and renal hemodynamic responses to Ang A in normotensive and hypertensive rats and in genetically modified mice and the binding p...

Renin (RA) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activities and angiotensinogen, ANG I, and ANG II levels were measured in the kidney (cortex and medulla) and plasma of Wistar-Kyoto rats on a low-sodium (LS; 0.025% NaCl; n = 8), normal-sodium (NS; 1% NaCl; n = 7), or high-sodium (HS; 8% NaCl; n = 7) diet for 21 days. RA, ANG I, and ANG II levels increased in a manner inversely related to sodi...

Vaccines have been recently developed to treat various diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's disease in addition to infectious diseases. However, before use in the clinical setting, vaccines targeting self-antigens must be demonstrated to be effective and safe, evoking an adequate humoral immune response from B cells while avoiding T cell activation in response to self. ...