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(Hypertension. 2009;53:1070.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Articles

Regulation of Renin Gene Expression by Oxidative Stress

Hana Itani; Xuebo Liu; Ehab H. Sarsour; Prabhat C. Goswami; Ella Born; Henry L. Keen; Curt D. Sigmund

From the Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program (H.I.), Department of Internal Medicine (X.L., E.B., H.L.K., C.D.S.), Department of Radiation Oncology (E.H.S., P.C.G.), Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics (C.D.S.), and Center on Functional Genomics of Hypertension (C.D.S.), Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Correspondence to Curt D. Sigmund, Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics, 3181B Medical Education and Biomedical Research Facility, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242. E-mail curt-sigmund{at}uiowa.edu

Increased arterial pressure, angiotensin II, and cytokines each result in feedback inhibition of renin gene expression. Because angiotensin II and cytokines can stimulate reactive oxygen species production, we tested the hypothesis that oxidative stress may be a mediator of this inhibition. Treatment of renin-expressing As4.1 cells with the potent cytokine tumor necrosis factor- caused an increase in the steady-state levels of cellular reactive oxygen species, which was reversed by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. Exogenous H₂O₂ caused a dose- and time-dependent decrease in the level of endogenous renin mRNA and decreased the transcriptional activity of a 4.1-kb renin promoter fused to luciferase, which was maximal when the renin enhancer was present. The effect of H₂O₂ appeared to be specific to renin, because there was no change in the expression of β-actin or cyclophilin mRNA or transcriptional activity of the SV40 promoter. The tumor necrosis factor-–induced decrease in renin mRNA was partially reversed by either N-acetylcysteine or panepoxydone, a nuclear factor B (NFB) inhibitor. Interestingly, H₂O₂ did not induce NFB in As4.1 cells, and panepoxydone had no effect on the downregulation of renin mRNA by H₂O₂. The transcriptional activity of a cAMP response element-luciferase construct was decreased by both tumor necrosis factor- and H₂O₂. These data suggest that cellular reactive oxygen species can negatively regulate renin gene expression via an NFB-independent mechanism involving the renin enhancer and inhibiting cAMP response element–mediated transcription. Our data further suggest that tumor necrosis factor- decreases renin expression through both NFB-dependent and NFB-independent mechanisms, the latter involving the production of reactive oxygen species.

Key Words: renin • hydrogen peroxide • oxidative stress • transcription • gene regulation