Prorenin and the (pro)renin receptor: Do they have a pathogenic role in the retina?

Abstract

Prorenin, the inactive precursor of renin has been suggested to be an indicator of diabetic complications including retinopathy. This concept was originally based on findings that prorenin is elevated in the plasma and vitreous of patients with diabetic retinopathy. Experimental studies in animal models of diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity, have confirmed these reports and localized prorenin to macroglial Müller cells and blood vessels. The identification of a (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR] which binds both prorenin and renin, and influences intracellular signaling pathways independently of angiotensin II, suggests that prorenin-(P)RR may be pathogenic under certain circumstan..