Patent highlights: February-March 2016

摘要

In the heart, greater than 90% of angiotensin I is synthesized locally, and greater than 75% of angiotensin II is produced by enzymatic conversion of local cardiac angiotensin I [l]. Prior to the present disclosure, it was unknown how the two relevant genes are regulated in the heart. Using immunostaining, the inventors found that ACE expression in endothelial cells in the left ventricle was activated when mouse hearts were stressed by transaortic constriction, whereas expression from ACE2 was suppressed. This tilts the balance of angiotensin peptides in favor of angiotensin II, ultimately leading to cardiomyopathy. Brgl (a catalytic component of the chromatin remodeling complex) and FoxMl (the positive forkhead box transcription factor) form a protein complex with the promoters of ACE and ACE2.