Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activation

Renin from plasma, kidney, and recombinant sources was previously demonstrated to cleave C3 to C3a and C3b. C3a was generated at a similar rate to that by C3 convertase, and C3 cleavage was inhibited by the renin inhibitor aliskiren. Renin endogenously produced by Calu6 cells also led to C3 depositi...

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Main Authors: Ann-Charlotte Kristoffersson, Albin Sköld, Charlotte Welinder, Markus Wendler, Gabriella Kalliokoski, Zivile Bekassy, Diana Karpman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Immunology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1563868/full
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author Ann-Charlotte Kristoffersson
Albin Sköld
Charlotte Welinder
Markus Wendler
Gabriella Kalliokoski
Zivile Bekassy
Diana Karpman
author_facet Ann-Charlotte Kristoffersson
Albin Sköld
Charlotte Welinder
Markus Wendler
Gabriella Kalliokoski
Zivile Bekassy
Diana Karpman
author_sort Ann-Charlotte Kristoffersson
collection DOAJ
description Renin from plasma, kidney, and recombinant sources was previously demonstrated to cleave C3 to C3a and C3b. C3a was generated at a similar rate to that by C3 convertase, and C3 cleavage was inhibited by the renin inhibitor aliskiren. Renin endogenously produced by Calu6 cells also led to C3 deposition on cells. These results have been challenged by another group suggesting that recombinant renin does not cleave C3 or that renin was contaminated by trypsin, which also cleaves C3. Here, we investigated C3 cleavage by recombinant renin and competitive inhibition in the presence of angiotensinogen. Recombinant renin was analyzed by mass spectrometry using endopeptidase LysC digestion and did not contain trypsin. C3 cleavage, using our protocol and that of the other group, showed cleavage to C3b by immunoblotting. Cleavage was inhibited by aliskiren, which inhibits renin but not trypsin. Cleavage to C3a occurred within 1 min as detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Angiotensinogen competed for renin-mediated C3 cleavage and inhibited C3a generation, but C3 did not inhibit cleavage of angiotensinogen to angiotensin I (detected by ELISA). The results suggest that renin cleaves C3 but angiotensinogen is its preferred substrate. The interaction between renin and C3 may gain importance in the kidney where renin concentrations are considerably higher than in the circulation and when the primary substrate, angiotensinogen, is cleaved and thereby depleted.
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spelling doaj-art-7c8a397aae47439d816d0659f258c12f2025-08-20T01:51:24ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242025-04-011610.3389/fimmu.2025.15638681563868Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activationAnn-Charlotte Kristoffersson0Albin Sköld1Charlotte Welinder2Markus Wendler3Gabriella Kalliokoski4Zivile Bekassy5Diana Karpman6Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Pediatrics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, SwedenMass Spectrometry, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Pediatrics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Pediatrics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Pediatrics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Pediatrics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, SwedenRenin from plasma, kidney, and recombinant sources was previously demonstrated to cleave C3 to C3a and C3b. C3a was generated at a similar rate to that by C3 convertase, and C3 cleavage was inhibited by the renin inhibitor aliskiren. Renin endogenously produced by Calu6 cells also led to C3 deposition on cells. These results have been challenged by another group suggesting that recombinant renin does not cleave C3 or that renin was contaminated by trypsin, which also cleaves C3. Here, we investigated C3 cleavage by recombinant renin and competitive inhibition in the presence of angiotensinogen. Recombinant renin was analyzed by mass spectrometry using endopeptidase LysC digestion and did not contain trypsin. C3 cleavage, using our protocol and that of the other group, showed cleavage to C3b by immunoblotting. Cleavage was inhibited by aliskiren, which inhibits renin but not trypsin. Cleavage to C3a occurred within 1 min as detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Angiotensinogen competed for renin-mediated C3 cleavage and inhibited C3a generation, but C3 did not inhibit cleavage of angiotensinogen to angiotensin I (detected by ELISA). The results suggest that renin cleaves C3 but angiotensinogen is its preferred substrate. The interaction between renin and C3 may gain importance in the kidney where renin concentrations are considerably higher than in the circulation and when the primary substrate, angiotensinogen, is cleaved and thereby depleted.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1563868/fullC3complementreninangiotensinogenkidney
spellingShingle Ann-Charlotte Kristoffersson
Albin Sköld
Charlotte Welinder
Markus Wendler
Gabriella Kalliokoski
Zivile Bekassy
Diana Karpman
Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activation
Frontiers in Immunology
C3
complement
renin
angiotensinogen
kidney
title Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activation
title_full Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activation
title_fullStr Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activation
title_full_unstemmed Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activation
title_short Angiotensinogen and C3 compete for renin-induced complement activation
title_sort angiotensinogen and c3 compete for renin induced complement activation
topic C3
complement
renin
angiotensinogen
kidney
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1563868/full
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