Novel Variants of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 of Shorter Molecular Size to Target the Kidney Renin Angiotensin System

Wysocki, Jan; Schulze, Arndt; Batlle, Daniel

After spiking with the native 100-110 kD, mrACE2, ACE2KO urines and kidneys were incubated for up to 48 h at 37 • C to enable proteolysis of the native mrACE2 by urinary and kidney proteases, respectively. Small samples of the reaction mixture were taken for analysis at different time points within the 48 h incubation time. In ACE2KO [23, 27] kidney lysates, the extended incubation resulted not only in the formation of a 75 kD band, but also a shorter~60-70 kD ACE2 immunoreactive band that had significant ACE2 activity ( Figure 1 ). The spiking of native mrACE2 into urine from ACE2 KO resulted similarly in the appearance of a 75 kD band and a gradual fading of the native 100-110 kD mrACE2. In kidney lysate, at 24 and 48 h of incubation, there was a band and no activity, which was not seen in the ACE2KO urine.