Molecular cloning of a novel kinin-forming enzyme and its tissue expression in the human cardiovascular organ

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AbstractWe previously purified a novel kallikrein-like enzyme from the dog heart and demonstrated that it is not only able to form kinins but can also convert angiotensin (Ang) I to Ang II. To clarity whether this novel kallikrein-like enzyme is present in human tissue, we tried to clone this enzyme. In the present study, we have subcloned a kallikrein gene from the human heart and neutrophil cDNA library by using degenerate oligonucleotide and nested PCR amplification. The transcript is identical with the partial sequence of a human renal kallikrein gene. So far, we have not cloned a kallikrein gene from the human heart and neutrophil cDNA library by using this transcript as a target DNA. These results suggest that a tissue kallikrein exerts a variety of biological effects not only in renal tissue, but also human heart and neutrophils. However, it remains unresolved whether this enzyme is novel.