Androgen regulation of rat renal angiotensinogen messenger RNA expression

Renal angiotensinogen (ang-n) mRNA concentration in the male WKY rat increases significantly during puberty. Furthermore, renal angiotensinogen mRNA level in the adult female WKY rat is considerably lower than in the male. The present study investigates the role of androgen in differential renal ang-n mRNA expression. Northern and slot blot analyses with alpha-32P labeled ang-n cDNA (pRang 3) demonstrated that castration lowered ang-n mRNA levels in the male kidney by greater than or equal to 60% compared with control, suggesting that androgen may be involved with renal ang-n gene regulation. Moreover, male WKY rats castrated as weanlings and normal adult female WKY rats each implanted with testosterone displayed significant (P less than 0.05) increases in renal ang-n mRNA levels. Our observations, taken together with previous reports that androgen influences proximal tubule morphology and the tubular expression of transport proteins (e.g., Na+/H+ antiporter), may have important physiological implications for understanding the relationship between androgen and angiotensin in the regulation of tubular function.