Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Biochemical, cytochemical and immunological methods were used to compare the metabolic and neuroendocrine properties of the subfornical organ (SFO) with the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS) in the rat. The SFO resembles the HNS in that both have (a) increased label incorporation into RNA during dehydration; (b) an intense reaction for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; (c) NADPH-diaphorase and the Type I pathway for hydrogen utilization from NADPH, presumably as part of the mixed-function oxidase system for the metabolism of endogenous substrates and xenobiotics; (d) immunoreactive vasopressin and oxytocin. Gel filtration of extracts of the SFO area using Sephadex G-25 chromatography resulted in immunoreactive peaks for both AVP and OT which were similar to synthetic hormones. One other fraction in the SFO extract, containing a substance(s) of higher molecular weight than AVP, was detected using the antiserum for AVP. The concentration of immunoreactive AVP in the SFO area was increased after colchicine, decreased by hypophysectomy, and unaltered by: (a) infusion (4.6 pg/min for 3 hr) or injection (1 or 6 ng) of AVP into the lateral cerebroventricle; (b) dehydration; (c) renin administered intracerebroventricularly; (d) pinealectomy; or (e) hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. In conclusion, cells in the SFO have specialized metabolic and neuroendocrine properties similar to the HNS. It can be inferred from these biochemical specializations that the SFO has metabolic and secretory activities.
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PMID:The subfornical organ: biochemical and neuroendocrine comparisons with the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. 402 8

One of the main differences between atrial and ventricular cardiocytes is the presence in former of specific granules with morphological characteristics very similar to secretory granules found in peptide-secreting endocrine cells. It has been suggested that these granules are the storage place for the atrial natriuretic factor. In the rat, water deprivation produces an increase in atrial granularity but a significant decrease in acid-extractable diuretic and natriuretic activity, suggesting that the number of atrial specific granules does not necessarily represent natriuretic activity. The atrial natriuretic factor activity is destroyed by incubation with several proteases and does not inhibit the sodium-potassium ATPase, suggesting that the active substance is a small peptide that is probably different from the so-called natriuretic hormone. After a series of chromatographic steps in Sep-Pak cartridges, Bio-Gel P-10, CM Bio-Gel, and Mono S columns, the specific activity of the atrial natriuretic factor was increased from 193, corresponding to atrial homogenates, to 242,000, which corresponds to the last chromatographic step representing a 1250-fold purification. This material showed a potent natriuretic activity, as 10 picomoles increased natriuresis by 100%.
Hypertension
PMID:Atrial natriuretic factor. Characterization and partial purification. 629 6

A new assay method has been developed to measure aldosterone stimulating factor (ASF) quantitatively. This method utilizes a combination of affinity chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antibodies raised against ASF, coupled to Affi-Gel 10, were used as the affinity column, and adsorbed ASF was eluted with 4 M urea. Quantitation was based on the external standard method of analysis using the area of the standards as controls, which were previously tested by HPLC for purity. The amount of ASF in the unknown samples was calculated on the basis of the area of the peak emerging at the retention time of ASF. A parallel bioassay using adrenal glomerulosa cells was also done to assess the biological activity. In eight normal volunteers, the urinary ASF was 146 +/- 4.6 ng/24 hr urine, whereas in plasma it was 70.5 +/- 6.5 ng/100 ml. The method is reproducible, specific for ASF, and showed less than 3% inter- or intraassay variability. In a preliminary study, when ASF was quantified from the 24-hour urine of two patients with adrenal hyperplasia, a significantly higher level of ASF was found (750 and 1020 ng/24 hr urine). These data suggest that ASF may be of pathological significance in certain hypertensive patients, especially in the hypertension associated with hyperaldosteronism.
Hypertension
PMID:Development and preliminary application of a new assay for aldosterone stimulating factor. 633 58

A new inactive (latent) form of renin was found in rat brain extract. It is activated by sulfhydryl compounds such as dithiothreitol but not by proteases such as trypsin. The activated form of latent renin in crude brain extract was again inactivated by the disulfide compound sodium tetrathionate. Latent renin was separated, at least partially, from active renin by affinity chromatography on Affi-Gel Blue. In contrast to a marked (10-fold) increase of latent renin by dithiothreitol, the enzyme activity of active renin was increased by less than 50% by this sulfhydryl compound. Thus, the major part of the activating effect of dithiothreitol does not seem to be due to its effect on renin substrate. Latent renin showed affinity for pepstatin-Sepharose gel. These properties indicate that latent renin is different from inactive renin of the zymogen type, which is activated by protease or acid treatment but not by sulfhydryl compounds and does not show affinity to pepstatin. Latent renin has a molecular weight of 45,000 and is reduced to 34,000 upon activation by dithiothreitol. This observation suggests that latent renin may be a renin-inhibitor complex.
Hypertension
PMID:A new form of inactive renin in rat brain. A latent renin. 637 94

Estimation of apparent molecular weight (mw) of inactive renin by gel filtration of human plasma was found to be inaccurate when "acid activation" or "cryoactivation" was used for detection; recoveries were only 5% to 20%. Trypsin activation produced greater recoveries, but the apparent elution volume of inactive renin varied with the concentration of trypsin used; the presence of trypsin inhibitors increased trypsin requirements to 100 to 200 micrograms/ml in the 60,000 dalton region, while low protein concentration in the 50,000 dalton region resulted in destruction of renin by as little as 10 microgram/ml trypsin. A composite trypsin-activated inactive renin peak corresponded to a mw of 56,000 +/- 1500 daltons (104% to 120% recovery), while active plasma renin was 48,000 +/- 2000 daltons. When this prorenin-like substance was isolated by affinity chromatography, it was found to be completely inactive. It was also nearly free of trypsin inhibitors, so that a single trypsin concentration correctly identified and confirmed the elution characteristics of inactive renin peak following gel filtration. The apparent mw of trypsin-activated inactive renin was slightly lower (52,000 daltons) than that of inactive renin. Human renal cortex was also found to contain a trypsin-activable form of renin. Like plasma inactive renin, it could be isolated by chromatography on Cibacron blue-agarose (Affi-Gel blue). It was found to be completely inactive following passage over a pepstatin affinity column. This inactive renal renin, as well as a similar substance in perfusate of normal human kidney, had a mw of 49,500 +/- 1000, while active renal renin was 39,500 +/- 500. Trypsin-activated inactive renal renin had a mw of 46,500 +/- 500; its pH optimum was identical with that of active renal renin, and it no longer bound to Cibacron blue-agarose. We conclude that both human plasma and kidney contain an inactive, prorenin-like substance that can be detected reliably by trypsin activation. There appear to be slight differences in the apparent mw of plasma renins and kidney renin, but the similarity of other characteristics suggests that the inactive, prorenin-like substances in renal cortex, renal perfusate, and plasma may be one and the same substance.
Hypertension
PMID:Detection and isolation of inactive, large molecular weight renin in human kidney and plasma. 702 14

Guanylate cyclase-A, the receptor for atrial natriuretic factor, contains a protein kinase-like domain and a catalytic domain in the intracellular region. To investigate the active site (the catalytic cavity) of guanylate cyclase-A, we amplified the catalytic domain plus three amino acids from the kinase-like domain of guanylate cyclase-A (GC-c) with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and expressed it in Escherichia coli. During the screening of the PCR-cloned gene products with guanylate cyclase assay, a mutant that lacks enzyme activity was identified. Results of cDNA sequencing revealed that Leu 817 was replaced by an Arg residue in the mutated protein. The mutated GC-c bound to GTP-agarose as well as the wild-type protein, indicating that the binding capability of mutated GC-c to GTP is not significantly affected by the Arg substitution. Gel-filtration column chromatography showed that, like the wild-type GC-c, the mutated protein also formed a high-molecular-weight complex. Since mutation of Leu 817 to Arg abolishes the catalytic activity, Leu 817 is likely located near the active site of guanylate cyclase-A. These results demonstrate that the carboxyl fragment of guanylate cyclase-A is an ideal system for studying the active site of guanylate cyclase-A.
Hypertension 1995 Apr
PMID:Mutational inactivation of the catalytic domain of guanylate cyclase-A receptor. 772 18

The promoter region of the mouse angiotensin II type 2 receptor gene was cloned, and the nucleotide sequences were determined. A computer homology search for a 1.5-kb promoter region showed that there are several consensus cis DNA elements such as C/EBP, NF-IL6, and AP-1 in this region. Primer extension experiments showed that there are two transcription initiation sites 16 bp apart in the mouse type 2 receptor gene. Deletion mutants of this 1.5-kb segment were prepared and fused to a luciferase reporter gene. These type 2 receptor promoter-luciferase constructs were introduced into PC12W cells, which are from a pheochromocytoma cell line expressing the type 2 receptor, and luciferase activity was measured. It showed that a DNA segment between nucleotides -1497 and -874 suppresses the promoter activity of the type 2 receptor gene and that a DNA segment between nucleotides -47 and +56 is important for the basal promoter activity of the type 2 receptor gene. This proximal segment showed very weak promoter activity when introduced into vascular smooth muscle cells. Gel mobility shift assay with nuclear extracts from PC12W cells showed the presence of three DNA binding proteins that bound to a DNA probe between nucleotides -47 and +8. One DNA binding protein was only very weakly expressed in nuclear extracts from vascular smooth muscle cells, which do not express the type 2 receptor. Two other DNA binding proteins were not observed in nuclear extracts from vascular smooth muscle cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hypertension 1995 Apr
PMID:Transcriptional regulation of the mouse angiotensin II type 2 receptor gene. 772 22

To clarify the role of PDGF A-chain in hypertensive vascular hypertrophy of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), we studied levels of PDGF A-chain gene expression and transcription factors related to the gene in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of SHRs in vivo. RNase protection assay and in situ hybridization showed that PDGF A-chain mRNA levels in VSMCs of SHRs were twofold higher than in those of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Gel retardation assays showed that levels of Sp1 and AP-2 in VSMCs of SHRs were twofold more abundant than in those of Wistar-Kyoto rats. Treatment with four pharmacologically different species of antihypertensive drugs for 2 wk decreased the levels of both PDGF A-chain mRNA and Sp1, but not AP-2 level in VSMCs of SHRs with regression of aortic hypertrophy, indicating that increases in levels of both PDGF A-chain mRNA and Sp1 in VSMCs of SHRs were associated with high blood pressure. These results suggest that high blood pressure is a stimulus which upregulates PDGF A-chain gene expression in VSMCs of SHRs, resulting in an autocrine enhancement in hypertensive vascular hypertrophy, and that the activation of the gene may be mediated through increases in Sp1 in these cells.
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PMID:Blood pressure regulates platelet-derived growth factor A-chain gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells in vivo. An autocrine mechanism promoting hypertensive vascular hypertrophy. 788 63

Factor VII (FVII) plays an important role in initiation of the tissue factor-induced coagulation pathway. An increase in FVII coagulant activity (FVIIc) has been proposed as an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease. However, it remains uncertain whether high FVIIc levels are due to an increase in the activation of FVII or an increase in the concentration of FVII mass. We developed a new fluorogenic assay for plasma activated FVII (FVIIa) that used soluble tissue factor. The sensitivity of this assay ranged from 0.2 to 1000 ng FVIIa per milliliter of plasma. Plasma FVIIa levels were measured in 110 healthy subjects and 93 patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and/or cardiovascular disease. The mean plasma FVIIa level in healthy Japanese individuals was 2.5 ng/mL, which was lower than that in Western subjects. Gel filtration analysis showed that most of the circulating FVIIa was in a free form, and binding of FVIIa to tissue factor in plasma was not detected. Aging increased both the FVIIa level and FVII mass, whereas menopause increased mainly the FVII mass. Elderly patients with arterial cardiovascular diseases showed increases in plasma FVIIa levels and FVIIa to FVII antigen (FVII:Ag) ratios. Among the elderly, arterial cardiovascular disease was more common in a high-FVIIa than a low-FVIIa group. Plasma FVIIa levels were not correlated with serum levels of total cholesterol or triglycerides. The FVIIa level and the FVIIa-to-FVII:Ag ratio were positively correlated with fibrinogen level and negatively correlated with body mass index and serum albumin level in the elderly. In conclusion, aging, cardiovascular disease, and malnutrition increased plasma FVIIa levels. FVIIa levels were not correlated with lipid levels or hepatic synthesis, suggesting that FVIIa may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
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PMID:Fluorogenic assay of activated factor VII. Plasma factor VIIa levels in relation to arterial cardiovascular diseases in Japanese. 830 19

We investigated the transcriptional activity of the -131 to -92 region of the rat alpha2A-adrenergic receptor gene. In HT29 cells, this region has a positive effect on transcription, whereas in RINm5F cells, this region has a negative effect on transcription. The -131 to -92 region has a GC box (GGGGCGG) surrounded by overlapping GGAGG repeats. To analyze nuclear factor binding to this region, we made a series of sequence substitutions in the GGAGG repeats, the GC box, or both regions. Gel mobility shift assays indicated that most of the nuclear factor complexes formed between the wild-type -131/-92 sequence and either HT29 or RINm5F extracts were specific for SP1 or related proteins that recognize a GC box. Mutation of either the GGAGG repeats or the GC box did not eliminate the binding of Sp1 or related nuclear factors, suggesting that both the GGAGG repeats and the GC box could bind Sp1-related factors. Mutation of both these sites eliminated the binding of Sp1-related factors. In the absence of SP1 binding sites, this region had a negative effect on transcription in HT29 and a positive effect on transcription in RINm5F cells. These data support the notion that Sp1 and/or a related factor may control both positive and negative gene expression and suggest that the -131/-92 region may be involved in regulating tissue-specific levels of alpha2A-adrenergic receptor gene expression.
Hypertension 1996 Apr
PMID:Evidence for cell-specific regulation of transcription of the rat alpha2A-adrenergic receptor gene. 861 57


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