The cat: an animal model for studies of inactive renin

Inactive renin, prorenin, is found in high concentrations in human plasma. We report herein the characteristics of trypsin-activated inactive renin from cat kidney and plasma. Cat and human plasma inactive renin were activated by similar concentrations of trypsin. As in humans, there was more inactive than active renin in cat plasma; also, inactive renin was low but detectable after nephrectomy. Trypsin-activated renal inactive renin, purified on Cibacron blue agarose and pepstatin-amino-hexyl-Sepharose chromatography, was inhibited by pepstatin and by a renin inhibitor similarly to cat and human active renins. The pH optimum of cat renin was biphasic: the higher peak of active renin was at pH 5.7, whereas that of activated inactive renin was at pH 7.5. As in humans, active and inactive plasma renin increased during sodium depletion and inactive renin increased during beta-adrenergic blockade, while active renin decreased. These results demonstrate that cat inactive renin is similar to human prorenin. Therefore, the cat may be a useful model for the study of prorenin.