Tumor necrosis factor-alpha convertase (ADAM17) mediates regulated ectodomain shedding of the severe-acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2)

ACE2 gene transfer attenuates hypertension-linked pathophysiological changes in the SHR

Recently discovered, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) is an important therapeutic target in the control of cardiovascular diseases as a result of its proposed central role in the control of angiotensin peptides. Thus our objective in the present study was to determine whether ACE2 gene transfer could decrease high blood pressure (BP) and would improve cardiac dysfunctions induced by hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model. Five-day-old SHR and normotensive WKY rats received a single intracardiac bolus injection of lentiviral vector containing either murine ACE2 (ACE2) or control enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) genes. Systolic BP, cardiac functions, and perivascular fibrosis were evaluated 4 mo after ACE2 gene transduction. ACE2 gene transfer resulted in a significant attenuation of high BP in the SHR (149 +/- 2 mmHg in lenti-ACE2 vs. 180 +/- 9 mmHg in lenti-EGFP, P < 0.01). In contrast, no significant effect of lenti-ACE2 on BP of WKY rats was observed. Lenti-ACE2-treated SHR showed an 18% reduction in left ventricular wall thickness (1.52 +/- 0.04 vs. 1.86 +/- 0.04 mm in lenti-EGFP, P < 0.01). In addition, there was a 12% increase in left ventricular end diastolic and a 21% increase in end systolic diameters in lenti-ACE2-treated SHR. Finally, lenti-ACE2 treatment resulted in a significant attenuation of perivascular fibrosis in the SHR. In contrast, ACE2 gene transfer did not influence any of these parameters in WKY rats. These observations demonstrate that ACE2 overexpression exerts protective effects on high BP and cardiac pathophysiology induced by hypertension in the SHR.

Characterization of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) in Human Urine

Angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) is a recently described membrane-bound carboxypeptidase identified by its homology to ACE, the enzyme responsible for the formation of the potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II (Ang II). ACE2 inactivates Ang II and is thus thought to act in a counter-regulatory fashion to ACE. ACE2 is highly expressed in epithelial cells of distal renal tubules, and recent evidence indicates that expression is increased in a range of renal diseases. A soluble form of ACE, generated by proteolytic cleavage of the membrane-bound form, has been shown to be present in urine; although evidence for a similar release of ACE2 has been reported in cell culture, it is not yet known whether this occurs in vivo. The present study has identified ACE2 in human urine, both by a sensitive fluorescence-based activity assay and by Western immunoblot. Levels of ACE2 were surprisingly higher than ACE, which may reflect preferential targeting of the enzyme to the luminal surface of the renal epithelium. Future studies will determine whether increased expression of ACE2 in renal diseases are reflected in higher urinary levels of this novel enzyme.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), but not ACE, is preferentially localized to the apical surface of polarized kidney cells

Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) is a homologue of angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE), the central enzyme of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). ACE2 is abundant in human kidney and heart and has been implicated in renal and cardiac function through its ability to hydrolyze Angiotensin II. Although ACE2 and ACE are both type I integral membrane proteins and share 61% protein sequence similarity, they display distinct modes of enzyme action and tissue distribution. This study characterized ACE2 at the plasma membrane of non-polarized Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCKII) epithelial cells and compared its cellular localization to its related enzyme, ACE, using indirect immunofluorescence, cell-surface biotinylation, Western analysis, and enzyme activity assays. This study shows ACE2 and ACE are both cell-surface proteins distributed evenly to detergent-soluble regions of the plasma membrane in CHO cells. However, in polarized MDCKII cells under steady-state conditions the two enzymes are differentially expressed. ACE2 is localized predominantly to the apical surface ( approximately 92%) where it is proteolytically cleaved within its ectodomain to release a soluble form. Comparatively, ACE is present on both the apical ( approximately 55%) and basolateral membranes ( approximately 45%) where it is also secreted but differentially; the ectodomain cleavage of ACE is 2.5-fold greater from the apical surface than the basolateral surface. These studies suggest that both ACE2 and ACE are ectoenzymes that have distinct localization and secretion patterns that determine their role on the cell surface in kidney epithelium and in urine.