Isolation and characterization of renin-producing human chorionic cells in culture

Chorionic tissue is one of the major extrarenal sites of renin production, and as such, cultured chorionic cells are a potential model for in vitro studies of renin biosynthesis and regulation. Human chorionic cells were isolated from four chorions and maintained in tissue culture for a total of eight subcultures. Total renin production was considerable in the primary cultures, but fell gradually with successive passages. The cells could be frozen and thawed without losing their ability to divide or produce renin. Both the primary cultures and the subcultures contained a single type of elongated cell containing abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum and myofibrils, but no renin granules, suggesting that the cells had smooth muscle-like features. Immunocytochemistry indicated that they contained both renin and prorenin. The renin produced by the chorionic cells was not stored within the cells, but was released rapidly into the medium. More than 95% of the renin produced was prorenin, which, after activation, had biochemical and immunological properties similar to those of pure human renin. The cells contained a renin mRNA that had the same size as that for renal renin (1.6 kilobases), confirming the synthesis of renin by these cells. The cells were also examined for the presence of other components of the renin-angiotensin system. Angiotensinogen and angiotensin I were not detected, but angiotensin-converting enzyme was present in extracts of primary and secondary cultured cells. beta hCG and progesterone were also found in the medium of primary culture. However, the production of beta hCG and progesterone fell after the primary culture, and beta hCG and progesterone were indetectable in secondary and tertiary cultures, respectively. These experiments suggest that these two hormones do not influence renin synthesis or vice versa. Thus, these cultures of human chorionic cells synthesized considerable quantities of prorenin and can provide a permanent source of nonrenal prorenin-producing cells.