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Query: UMLS:C0004135 (ATM)
 13,001 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Angiotensin II exerts its action via at least two distinct receptor subtypes designated AT1 and AT2. AT1 receptors seem to be responsible for most of the known angiotensin II effects while the role of AT2 receptors is not yet clear. Adipocytes of adult rats express exclusively the AT1 subtype. Angiotensin II stimulates prostacyclin release in adult rat adipocytes and in mouse preadipocytes. In the latter prostacyclin release is completely blocked by an AT2 receptor antagonist. Adipocyte angiotensin II receptors seem to be regulated by age and fat mass. Blockade of these receptors by an AT1 antagonist seems to prevent adipose tissue hypertrophy. Moreover, adipose tissue contains all the main components of the renin-angiotensin system such as angiotensinogen, angiotensin converting enzyme, angiotensin II and angiotensin II receptors. Angiotensinogen expression in adipocytes is stimulated by a high fat diet concurrent with enlargement of fat mass, associated with insulin resistance. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors improve insulin sensitivity. Taken together, there is evidence of interaction between insulin and angiotensin II in regulation of adipose tissue metabolism and cellularity. Clarification of these interactions could lead to significant progress in pharmacological treatment of obesity and its comorbidity.
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PMID:The role of angiotensin II and its receptors in regulation of adipose tissue metabolism and cellularity. 878 38

Most of the biological effects of the renin-angiotensin system are mediated by the binding of angiotensin II (Ang II) to the type 1 Ang II (AT1) receptor, the predominant receptor subtype present after fetal life. To study tissue-specific regulation of the expression of the AT1 receptor in the rat, we altered activity of the renin-angiotensin system by feeding rats a low (0.07% NaCl), normal (0.3% NaCl), or high (7.5% NaCl) salt chow for 14 days; infusing Ang II (200 ng/kg per minute IP) or vehicle for 7 days; and administering an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (captopril, 100 mg/dL in the drinking water) or vehicle for 7 days. Renin, angiotensinogen, and total AT1 receptor mRNA levels were measured by slot-blot hybridization with cRNA probes, and AT1 receptor subtypes (A and B) were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in the presence of a cRNA internal standard. Plasma renin concentration and renal renin, renal and hepatic angiotensinogen, and hepatic AT1 receptor mRNA levels were all inversely related to salt intake; in contrast, renal AT1 receptor mRNA levels were significantly lower in rats fed low salt, a difference that was exclusively due to a decrease in the AT1A subtype. This difference did not appear to be mediated by a change in the circulating levels of Ang II, because Ang II infusion reduced plasma renin concentration and renal renin mRNA with no effect on either angiotensinogen or AT1 receptor mRNA levels in kidney or liver, renal Ang II receptor density (determined by in situ autoradiography) decreased, presumably via a posttranscriptional mechanism. Similarly, inhibition of Ang II generation with captopril increased plasma renin concentration and renal renin mRNA levels without altering renal or hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA or renal AT1 receptor mRNA levels. Thus, AT1 receptor gene expression is regulated in a tissue-specific manner that is distinct from other components of systemic and local renin-angiotensin systems and that appears to be mediated by a mechanism other than through changes in the circulating levels of Ang II.
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PMID:Tissue-specific regulation of type 1 angiotensin II receptor mRNA levels in the rat. 879 24

There is increasing evidence that neuropeptides have trophic functions during embryogenesis. We examined the ability of angiotensin II, substance P, somatostatin-28 and luteinising hormone-releasing hormone to influence neurite outgrowth from embryonic chick sympathetic neurons in culture. Nanomolar concentrations of angiotensin II inhibited neurite outgrowth, whereas the other peptides had no effect at similar concentrations. The effect of angiotensin II on neurite outgrowth is likely to be mediated by an atypical angiotensin receptor, as it was only weakly inhibited by [sar1,ala8]angiotensin II, and was not inhibited by losartan, an inhibitor of mammalian AT1 receptors, or PD123319, an AT2 inhibitor. Neurite outgrowth was also inhibited by angiotensin III and angiotensin IV but not by angiotensinogen I1-14. The study provides further evidence that angiotensin peptides, like classical neurotransmitters, may have trophic functions during embryogenesis.
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PMID:A novel action of angiotensin peptides in inhibiting neurite outgrowth from isolated chick sympathetic neurons in culture. 880 32

Renin-like activity (RLA), angiotensin I converting enzyme-like (ACELA), and kallikrein-like activity (KLA), activities of the key enzymes of renin-angiotensin and kallikrein-kinin systems, were sought in the kidney of the African lungfish Protopterus annectens during the aquatic phase. RLA, examined by RIA (using porcine angiotensinogen as substrate), was 0.38 +/- 0.05 ng angiotensin I/mg protein/hr. ACELA and KLA were investigated in assays spectrophotometrically. ACELA, measured at 37 and at 20 degrees , was, respectively, 1.55 +/- 0.55 and 0.61 +/- 0.23 nmol hippurate/min/mg protein. KLA was 7.34 +/- 0.93 mU/mg protein in the crude kidney extract and 31.05 +/- 7.50 mU/mg protein after electrophoretic purification. Renal kininogenase activity was inhibited by 100% by D-Phe-Phe-Arg-chloromethyl ketone (10 microM), 98% by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (2 nM), and 91% by aprotinin (1000 kIU). The apparent molecular weight of the renal kininogenase on SDS-PAGE was 27,000 Da. Both the renal enzyme and the purified glandular kallikrein, used as a control, have the same mobility on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunoreactivities toward angiotensin II and bradykinin were localized by double immunostaining in the same cells of the proximal tubules. Putative angiotensin II receptors were demonstrated immunohistochemically, in the supranuclear region of proximal tubular cells, using an antibody to the sequence between amino acids 225 and 237 of the mammalian AT1 receptor.
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PMID:The kallikrein-kinin and renin-angiotensin systems in the kidney of an African lungfish, Protopterus annectens. 881 41

We analyzed the components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in ocular tissues of normal rabbit eyes and compared the results with those measured in rabbit eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy and ocular hypertension. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy was induced by injection of human platelets into the vitreous humor, and ocular hypertension was induced by injection of alpha-chymotrypsin into the posterior chamber. Angiotensinogen, renin, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II (Ang II), and Ang II receptors were assessed using conventional biochemical techniques. The vascularized tissues of normal eyes contained high renin and ACE activities concomitant with low concentration of angiotensinogen and Ang II. In general, in the ocular humors, the opposite was found. The Ang II receptor density was highest in the uveal tract [range 35-190 fmol/mg protein]. The AT1 receptor subtype predominated [> 80%]. The RAS was only minimally different in the two pathological models except that, in ocular hypertension, the renin activity in the uveal tract was reduced [-50%]. Also, the ratio of AT1 to AT2 receptors changed as compared to control, although the total receptor density remained unaltered. In conclusion, we present evidence for the presence of a complete local RAS in the rabbit eye, which is only marginally affected by the two pathological models studied.
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PMID:The renin-angiotensin system in the rabbit eye. 887 36

The transgenic rat (TGR) (mRen-2)27 is said to have low circulating active renin values in plasma and little or no renin gene expression in the kidney. Nevertheless, intrarenal angiotensin II-related effects appear to be responsible for the rightward shift in pressure-natriuresis curves of TGR. To clarify the role of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system in modulating TGR pressure-natriuresis, TGR were given lifelong lisinopril by treating TGR and their mothers before conception. Rat and mouse renin, AT1 receptor, and angiotensinogen gene expression in the kidneys were studied with in situ hybridization. Neural and endocrine regulatory differences between TGR and Sprague-Dawley Hannover (SDH) rats were eliminated by renal denervation and infusion of vasopressin, aldosterone, 17-OH corticosterone, and norepinephrine. TGR with lisinopril had blood pressures similar to SDH. In TGR with lisinopril, the pressure-natriuresis curve was shifted leftward but not quite to the values observed in SDH given lisinopril. The histology of lisinopril-treated TGR was indistinguishable from normal SDH. Lisinopril increased rat renin and angiotensinogen gene expression both in SDH and TGR, but it did not influence mouse renin gene expression in TGR. Discontinuing lisinopril increased blood pressure in TGR and shifted the pressure-natriuresis relationship rightward. Thus, the components of the endogenous renin-angiotensin system and the mouse renin transgene were present and expressed in kidneys of TGR. The rat gene components responded to lisinopril as expected, but the mouse renin transgene expression was not influenced. Lisinopril normalized TGR blood pressure; however, a detectable leftward shift in pressure-natriuresis remained. These studies underscore the role of angiotensin-mediated effects of the mouse renin transgene in terms of shifting pressure-natriuresis in TGR.
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PMID:Lifelong angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, pressure natriuresis, and renin-angiotensin system gene expression in transgenic (mRen-2)27 rats. 891 71

The effects of dietary sodium intake on the gene expression of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) were investigated in rat central and peripheral tissues in a single set of experiment. Northern and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques were used to detect mRNA expression in rats fed a low- or a high-sodium diet (5 or 500 mmol Na+/kg diet) for 20 days. Plasma and renal renin levels were elevated in rats maintained on the low-sodium diet. Sodium deprivation enhanced the expression of angiotensinogen, renin, AT1A and AT1B receptor subtypes in the hypothalamus, but suppressed them in the brainstem. Kidney and adrenal levels of those mRNAs were also enhanced in the sodium-restricted rats. Both AT1A and AT1B mRNAs changed in a similar magnitude in each tissue examined upon dietary sodium intake. AT1A was the predominant receptor subtype of AT1 in all the tissues examined in the present study except the adrenal gland. The present study demonstrated that dietary sodium modulated the gene expression of the RAS components in the central and peripheral tissues. It also showed that the RAS components in the brainstem and hypothalamus were differentially expressed upon sodium deprivation. This suggests different roles of the RAS in these tissues in maintaining body fluid homeostasis in response to different sodium intakes.
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PMID:Gene expression of central and peripheral renin-angiotensin system components upon dietary sodium intake in rats. 895 82

The transgenic rat (TGR)(mRen2)27 was the first hypertensive transgenic rat model developed. The model is unique in that it allows studying the effects of a single gene, namely the mouse salivary gland renin gene (mRen2), in the rat. The transgene is expressed in various rat tissues, including the central nervous system, adrenal gland, and the kidney. TGR exhibit a rightward shifted pressure-natriuresis curve that is overwhelmingly angiotensin II (Ang II) dependent. The mRen2 transgene, the rat's own renin gene, angiotensinogen, and the type 1 Ang II receptor, AT1, are all expressed in the kidneys of TGR. The rat's own renin gene is regulated normally in renal tissue, while the mRen2 transgene operates independently of blood pressure. These results, coupled with findings that the mRen2 transgene product converts rat angiotensinogen more effectively than endogenous rat renin, that the TGR may have high circulating mouse renin levels which increase with age, and the fact that high circulating prorenin concentrations are present in these TGR, shed light on the kidney's role in the blood-pressure-elevating mechanisms of TGR. The viewpoint that the kidneys are not mechanistically important in this TGR model must be revised.
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PMID:The renin-angiotensin system and renal function in transgenic (mRen2)27 rats. 900 93

The present study examined changes in angiotensin receptors (AT1 and AT2) and angiotensinogen mRNA level after global ischemia in the rat brain. The AT2 mRNA level increased by three-fold in both the cortex and hippocampus, which are known to be sensitive to ischemic injury, 3 h after ischemia. The increase thus appeared only during the early reperfusion period. In the striatum, amygdala and cerebellum, the level increased moderately 3 h and/or 24 h after ischemia; there was no change in the hypothalamus. On the other hand, the AT1A and AT1B receptor mRNA levels were not altered in the cortex or hippocampus during the early reperfusion period, even 3 h and 24 h after ischemia. There was no significant alteration in angiotensinogen mRNA level 3 h or 24 h after ischemia. These results suggest that the transient upregulation of AT2 receptor mRNA occurs in the cortex and hippocampus after injury and these changes may be in some way related to the molecular events which lead to delayed neuronal cell death.
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PMID:Transient upregulation of the AT2 receptor mRNA level after global ischemia in the rat brain. 900 58

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides have been designed to inhibit the production of specific proteins. In models of hypertension, we have targeted the renin-angiotensin system at the level of synthesis (angiotensinogen) and the receptor (AT1 receptor). The design of antisense oligonucleotides requires choosing a site to inhibit mRNA processig or translation. The strategy we use is to make three oligonucleotides of antisense sequences, upstream and downstream from the AUG site and over the AUG site. The oligonucleotides are tested in a screening test. Antisense oligonucleotides to AT1-receptor mRNA and to angiotensinogen mRNA reduce blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats when injected into the brain. They significantly reduce the concentration of the appropriate protein. The oligonucleotides are also effective when administered systemically. The decrease in blood pressure with antisense oligonucleotides delivered in blood or brain lasts 3 to 7 days. To prolong the action, direct injection of naked DNA and injection of DNA in liposome carriers have been tested. Viral vectors have been developed to deliver antisense DNA. The viral vectors available include retroviruses and adenovirus, but the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector is the vector of choice for ultimate use in gene therapy. It offers safety because it is nonpathogenic, has longevity because it integrates into the genome, and has sufficient carrying capacity to carry up to 4.5 kb antisense or gene in a recombinant AAV. Using rAAV-antisense to AT1 mRNA, there is efficient transfection into cells and an inhibition of AT1 receptor number. In in vivo tests, rAAV-AS AT1-receptor when injected into the brains of SHR reduces blood pressure for more than 2 months. In young rats (3 weeks old), rAAV-AS AT1-receptor decreases blood pressure and slows the development of hypertension. While further experiments need to be done on dose-response relationships and on the cellular mechanisms of these effects, the results show the feasibility of AAV as a vector for antisense inhibition, which may ultimately be used in gene therapy for hypertension.
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PMID:Antisense inhibition and adeno-associated viral vector delivery for reducing hypertension. 903 99


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