Cell-dependent posttranslational processing and secretion of recombinant mouse renin-2.

In the DBA/2 mouse submandibular gland (SMG), renin is predominantly the expression product of the renin gene Ren-2d. Prorenin is synthesized and rapidly converted to a constitutively secreted single-chain intermediate, which is then processed to and stored as the mature two-chain (2C) form, which is released by regulated secretion. To evaluate whether the mode of renin processing is cell dependent, renin (Ren-2d) complementary DNA was stably integrated in the genome of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and a mouse pituitary cell line (AtT-20) by transfection, and renin processing and secretion were examined. Transfected CHO cells secreted exclusively prorenin, whereas transfected AtT-20 cells secreted both prorenin and active renin. AtT-20 cells processed prorenin to the single-chain polypeptide (1C-renin) that was the main storage form and was not further processed to the 2C form of correct size, whose site of generation or function is uncertain at this time. In addition, the conversion of prorenin to 1C-renin was much slower in AtT-20 cells than in the SMG. Thus the patterns of renin biosynthesis and secretion in AtT-20 cells show major differences when compared with these processes in the native SMG, suggesting that cell-dependent characteristics, e.g., the presence of specific processing enzymes, are important factors influencing mouse renin processing.