An Alternative Promoter in Intron1 of the Renin Gene is Regulated by Glucose Starvation via Serum Response Factor

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Renin is known as a secretory glycoprotein that ultimately leads to angiotensin II generation. In this way renin exerts pro-inflammatory effects and promotes cardiac injury. Additional transcripts have been identified encoding for a cytosolic renin isoform that - in contrast to secretory renin - exhibits cardioprotective effects under ischemic conditions. The promoter of these transcripts is unknown. METHODS: Using qRT-PCR and dual-luciferase reporter assay we examined the expression and promotor activity of cytosolic renin as well as the regulation by glucose starvation in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. RESULTS: We identified a promoter in intron1 of the rat renin gene with two glucose starvation-sensitive regions. One region contains a binding motif for serum response factor (SRF). Under glucose depletion expression of SRF increased prior to cytosolic renin. SRF knock down selectively decreased cytosolic renin expression and attenuated the increase of cytosolic renin expression under glucose depletion. CONCLUSIONS: Transcripts encoding for secretory and cytosolic renin are differentially expressed. The low basal expression of cytosolic renin as well as its induction under ischemia-related conditions represents an efficient system regulated in accordance with its previously identified unfavorable effects under control situations but protective effects seen after myocardial infarction or glucose depletion.