New kidney protein regulates heart rate and blood pressure

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 08 Apr 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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The kidney is important for regulating fluid and electrolyte balance, and it also secretes proteins that have important biological roles. In a study appearing online on April 7 in advance of the print publication of the May 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Jianchao Xu and colleagues from Yale University searched for novel proteins secreted by the kidney.

The researchers have identified a new protein, called renalase. Renalase is secreted by the kidney into the blood and regulates heart rate and blood pressure. Interestingly, renalase levels are markedly reduced in patients with end-stage kidney disease as compared to healthy subjects. Therefore, there may be a causal link between reduced renalase and the increased cardiovascular risk that is often seen in patients with renal disease

The identification of renalase not only provides a more complete understanding of renal and cardiovascular physiology, but could also lead to the development of novel therapies for patients with chronic kidney disease.

TITLE: Renalase: a novel, soluble monoamine oxidase that regulates cardiac function and blood pressure

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Jianchao Xu
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT USA
Phone: (203) 932-5711, extension 2542; Fax: (203) 785-4904; E-mail: jianchao.xu@yale.edu

View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=24066

Contact: Stacie Bloom
press_releases@the-jci.org
212 342-4159
Journal of Clinical Investigation
http://www.jci.org

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