Activation of inactive renin during the selective destruction of proteinase inhibitors in human plasma by a metalloproteinase in Bitis arietans venom.

Puff adder venom, which has been pretreated with phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride and extensively dialysed, is capable of destroying selectively proteinase inhibitory activity in human plasma by an action of an EDTA-sensitive venom proteinase. We found that incubation of 1/5 vol. of such venom with human plasma at 25 degrees C leads to a concomitant increase in renin to 4.4 times control by 5 h. The activation of inactive renin was abolished by 10 mM EDTA and the rate of activation was reduced by 50% in the presence of 5 mM phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride and by 90% when 0.32 mg/ml soybean trypsin inhibitor and 5 mM N-ethylmaleimide were added as well. The venom proteinase thus appears to activate inactive renin via an activation of endogenous plasma proteinases. This may be accomplished either by activation of proteinase precursors or action on proteinase inhibitor-proteinase complexes. By destroying proteinase inhibitors at the same time as it activates endogenous proteinases, Bitis arietans metalloproteinase would appear to be particularly useful for studies of the activation of inactive renin in human plasma, since endogenous proteinases are then free to activate inactive renin without subsequent inhibition by endogenous proteinase inhibitors.