No abstract available

[en] Advances in the knowledge of renal neoplasms have demonstrated the implication of several proteases in their genesis, growth and dissemination. Glutamyl-aminopeptidase (GAP) (EC. 3.4.11.7) is a zinc metallopeptidase with angiotensinase activity highly expressed in kidney tissues and its expression and activity have been associated wtih tumour development. In this prospective study, GAP spectrofluorometric activity and immunohistochemical expression were analysed in clear-cell (CCRCC), papillary (PRCC) and chromophobe (ChRCC) renal cell carcinomas, and in renal oncocytoma (RO). Data obtained in tumour tissue were compared with those from the surrounding uninvolved kidney tissue. In CCRCC, classic pathological parameters such as grade, stage and tumour size were stratified following GAP data and analyzed for 5-year survival. GAP activity in both the membrane-bound and soluble fractions was sharply decreased and its immunohistochemical expression showed mild staining in the four histological types of renal tumours. Soluble and membrane-bound GAP activities correlated with tumour grade and size in CCRCCs. This study suggests a role for GAP in the neoplastic development of renal tumours and provides additional data for considering the activity and expression of this enzyme of interest in the diagnosis and prognosis of renal neoplasms

[en] The rat posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) links emotionally charged sensory stimuli to social behavior, and is part of the supramedullary control of the cardiovascular system. We studied the effects of microinjections of neuroactive peptides markedly found in the MePD, namely oxytocin (OT, 10 ng and 25 pg; n=6/group), somatostatin (SST, 1 and 0.05 μM; n=8 and 5, respectively), and angiotensin II (Ang II, 50 pmol and 50 fmol; n=7/group), on basal cardiovascular activity and on baroreflex- and chemoreflex-mediated responses in awake adult male rats. Power spectral and symbolic analyses were applied to pulse interval and systolic arterial pressure series to identify centrally mediated sympathetic/parasympathetic components in the heart rate variability (HRV) and arterial pressure variability (APV). No microinjected substance affected basal parameters. On the other hand, compared with the control data (saline, 0.3 µL; n=7), OT (10 ng) decreased mean AP (MAP_5_0) after baroreflex stimulation and increased both the mean AP response after chemoreflex activation and the high-frequency component of the HRV. OT (25 pg) increased overall HRV but did not affect any parameter of the symbolic analysis. SST (1 μM) decreased MAP_5_0, and SST (0.05 μM) enhanced the sympathovagal cardiac index. Both doses of SST increased HRV and its low-frequency component. Ang II (50 pmol) increased HRV and reduced the two unlike variations pattern of the symbolic analysis (P<0.05 in all cases). These results demonstrate neuropeptidergic actions in the MePD for both the increase in the range of the cardiovascular reflex responses and the involvement of the central sympathetic and parasympathetic systems on HRV and APV

[en] Angiotensin II (AngII) is the most important component of angiotensin, which has been regarded as a major contributor to the incidence of hypertension and vascular endothelial dysfunction. The adipocytokine C1q/TNF-related protein 6 (CTRP6) was recently reported to have multiple protective effects on cardiac and cardiovascular function. However, the exact role of CTRP6 in the progression of AngII induced hypertension and vascular endothelial function remains unclear. Here, we showed that serum CTRP6 content was significantly downregulated in SHRs, accompanied by a marked increase in arterial systolic pressure and serum AngII, CRP and ET-1 content. Then, pcDNA3.1-mediated CTRP6 delivery or CTRP6 siRNA was injected into SHRs. CTRP6 overexpression caused a significant decrease in AngII expression and AngII-mediated hypertension and vascular endothelial inflammation. In contrast, CTRP6 knockdown had the opposite effect to CTRP6 overexpression. Moreover, we found that CTRP6 positively regulated the activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), a recently proven negative regulator of AngII, in the brain and vascular endothelium of SHRs. Finally, CTRP6 was overexpressed in endothelial cells, and caused a significant increase in PPARγ activation and suppression in AngII-mediated vascular endothelial dysfunction and apoptosis. The effect of that could be rescued by the ERK inhibitor PD98059. In contrast, silencing CTRP6 suppressed PPARγ activation and exacerbated AngII-mediated vascular endothelial dysfunction and apoptosis. In conclusion, CTRP6 improves PPARγ activation and alleviates AngII-induced hypertension and vascular endothelial dysfunction. - Highlights: • Serum CTRP6 was significantly decreased in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). • CTRP6 positively regulated the activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. • CTRP6 negatively regulates PPARγ mediated Angiotensin II (AngII) expression. • CTRP6 alleviates AngII-induced hypertension and vascular endothelial dysfunction.

No abstract available

[en] Angiotensin II (Ang II), the main effector of the renin angiotensin system, acts upon two distinct transmembrane receptors, the Ang II type 1 and the type 2 (AT_2-) receptor, to induce promotion and inhibition of ERK2 phosphorylation. The AT_2-receptor, through an interaction with its putative signaling partner MTUS1/ATIP (AT_2-receptor interacting protein), inhibits the mitogenic effects of EGF in prostate cancer cell lines representing both early and late stage disease. This is the first report on the expression of ATIP in normal and malignant human prostatic biopsies. The expression of ATIP and its major isoforms, ATIP1 and ATIP3, in normal prostatic cells and three prostate cancer cell lines was examined using QPCR and immunohistochemistry. Human biopsies containing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and well, moderately and poorly differentiated prostate cancer were also examined. Overall, ATIP1 and ATIP3 mRNA expression was increased in malignant compared to normal tissues and cell lines. ATIP immunostaining was low or absent in both the basal and columnar epithelial cell layers surrounding BPH acini; however, it was observed in high concentration in neoplastic epithelial cells of HGPIN and was clearly evident in cytoplasms of malignant cells in all prostate cancer grades. ATIP immunostaining was also identified in the cytoplasms of LNCaP and PC3 prostate cancer cells. As the AT_2-receptor/ATIP inhibitory signaling pathway exists in malignant cells in all grades of prostate cancer, enhancement of this pathway may be a therapeutic target even after the development of androgen-independence

[en] To evaluate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in diabetes mellitus, basal plasma renin activity (PRA) and its response to intravenous furosemide were determined in 40 diabetic subjects. The diabetics were divided into 4 groups according to the presence of nephropathy and/or hypertension. Uncomplicated diabetics (Group I) were taken as control group and the results of the other groups were compared to this group. In diabetics with nephropathy alone (Group II), and with nephropathy and hypertension (Group III), basal PRA values were 0.63±0.59 ng/ml/hr., and 0.79±0.62 ng/ml/hr., respectively, both significantly lower than control group. (1.53±1.09 ng/ml/hr.). (p<0.05) In both of the above groups, the responses to intravenous furosemide tended to be blunted. On the other hand, in diabetics, with hypertension only (Group IV), the basal and stimulated PRA were not significantly different from control. Above results suggests that nephropathy may be one of the factors which suppress renin activity in diabetes mellitus

[en] Plasma renin assays are used as an adjunct in determining whether hypertension is due to primary aldosteronism or to renal vascular disease. In order to determine the plasma renin activity of a substrate, radioimmunoassay procedures are used to determine the amount of angiotensin I generated by that substrate. This patent specification claims: 1) a process for maximising the generation of angiotensin I from a plasma substrate. 2) Processes for incubating angiotensin substrate at 37⁰C for two hours. 3) A radioimmunoassay for determining levels of angiotensin in a plasma sample. (U.K.)

[en] We examined the contractile responsiveness of rat thoracic aortas under pressure overload after long-term suprarenal abdominal aortic coarctation (lt-Srac). Endothelium-dependent angiotensin II (ANG II) type 2 receptor (AT_2R)-mediated depression of contractions to ANG II has been reported in short-term (1 week) pressure-overloaded rat aortas. Contractility was evaluated in the aortic rings of rats subjected to lt-Srac or sham surgery (Sham) for 8 weeks. ANG I and II levels and AT_2R protein expression in the aortas of lt-Srac and Sham rats were also evaluated. lt-Srac attenuated the contractions of ANG II and phenylephrine in the aortas in an endothelium-independent manner. However, lt-Srac did not influence the transient contractions induced in endothelium-denuded aortic rings by ANG II, phenylephrine, or caffeine in Ca"2"+-free medium or the subsequent tonic constrictions induced by the addition of Ca"2"+ in the absence of agonists. Thus, the contractions induced by Ca"2"+ release from intracellular stores and Ca"2"+ influx through stored-operated channels were not inhibited in the aortas of lt-Srac rats. Potassium-elicited contractions in endothelium-denuded aortic rings of lt-Srac rats remained unaltered compared with control tissues. Consequently, the contractile depression observed in aortic tissues of lt-Srac rats cannot be explained by direct inhibition of voltage-operated Ca"2"+ channels. Interestingly, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced contractions in endothelium-denuded aortic rings of lt-Srac rats were depressed in the presence but not in the absence of extracellular Ca"2"+. Neither levels of angiotensins nor of AT_2R were modified in the aortas after lt-Srac. The results suggest that, in rat thoracic aortas, lt-Srac selectively inhibited protein kinase C-mediated activation of contraction that is dependent on extracellular Ca"2"+ entry

[en] ⁶⁷Ga scintigraphy, using ⁶⁷Ga accumulation score, was compared with serum lysozyme (LZM) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) levels in 34 patients with biopsy-proven, pulmonary sarcoidosis. Serum LZM and ACE values varied between 1.0 to 21.3 mg/l (mean 4.3+-3.4 mg/l) and 33 to 146 U/l(mean 69+-26 U/l), respectively. Normal values were found in 26 and 35% of the patients. All patients, however, had abnormal ⁶⁷Ga uptake in the pulmonary hilar lymph nodes and/or parenchyma. The follow-up of untreated and treated patients supports the suggestion that ⁶⁷Ga scintigraphy is more useful for assessing the extent and activity of the intrathoracic sarcoid lesions. Serum LZM and ACE measurements are helpful, but normal LZM and ACE values do not exclude activity and progression of disease in pulmonary sarcoidosis. (author)