0000000000467470
AUTHOR
John W. Brock
Role of the Angiotensin Type 2 Receptor Gene in Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract, CAKUT, of Mice and Men
Angiotensin type 2 receptor gene null mutant mice display congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). Various features of mouse CAKUT impressively mimic human CAKUT. Studies of the human type 2 receptor (AGTR2) gene in two independent cohorts found that a significant association exists between CAKUT and a nucleotide transition within the lariat branchpoint motif of intron 1, which perturbs AGTR2 mRNA splicing efficiency. AGTR2, therefore, has a significant ontogenic role for the kidney and urinary tract system. Studies revealed that the establishment of CAKUT is preceded by delayed apoptosis of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells surrounding the urinary tract during key ont…
Angiotensin type 2 receptor is important in the normal development of the ureter
In humans, the actions of angiotensin II are transduced through the AT1 and AT2 receptors which have recently been implicated in renal organogenesis. Polymorphisms in the human angiotensin II receptor genes have been linked to cardiovascular and nephrological disorders. In this study we evaluated 35 patients with either primary obstructive megaureter or posterior urethral valves. Each was genotyped for the A1166 AT1 polymorphism and the recently described A-1332G AT2 transition. The incidence of these genetic variants was also evaluated in normal controls without any ultrasonographic urological abnormalities. Similar to our previous findings in congenital urological abnormalities, the AT1 r…