(Pro)renin Revisited: New Insights from Studies in Mast Cells

Angiotensin synthesis at tissue sites is well-established, and interference with tissue angiotensin is now believed to underlie the beneficial effects of renin-angiotensin system blockers. At first it was thought that the renin required to synthesize angiotensin at tissue sites was also synthesized locally. Recent studies show, however, that this is not the case at important cardiovascular sites like the heart and vessel wall. Moreover, extrarenal sites that do express the renin gene release prorenin, the inactive precursor of renin, instead of renin. This chapter provides an update on the sources of (pro)renin in the body, lists the known stimulants and inhibitors of its production, and discusses the concept that prorenin rather than renin determines tissue angiotensin generation.

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