Abstract
The kidney plays an essential role in the maintenance of life in higher organisms, not only through regulating the blood pressure and body fluid homeostasis and clearing the wastes, but also by acting as a major endocrine organ. The kidney secretes (1) renin, a key enzyme of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that leads to the production of a potent pressor hormone angiotensin, and produces the following hormones and humoral factors: (2) kallikreins, a group of serine proteases that act on blood proteins to produce a vasorelaxing peptide bradykinin; (3) erythropoietin (EPO), a peptide hormone essential for red blood cell (RBC) formation by the bone marrow; and (4) 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3, the active form of vitamin D essential for calcium homeostasis, which is produced by the proximal tubule cells via the enzyme 1α-hydroxylase.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Selected Readings
Cambien F, Poirier O, Lacerf L, et al. Deletion polymorphism in the gene for angiotensin-converting enzyme is a potent risk factor for myocardial infarction. Nature 1992;359:641–644.
Candido R, Burrell LM, Jandeleit-Dahm KA, et al.. Vasoactive peptides and the kidney. In: Brenner BM, ed. The Kidney, 7th Ed., vol. 1. Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders 2004:663–726.
Chao J, Chao L. New experimental evidence for a role of tissue kallikrein in hypertension. Nephrol Dial Transplant 1997;12:1569–1574.
Chusho H, Tamura N, Ogawa Y, et al. Dwarfism and early death in mice lacking C-type natriuretic peptide. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001;98:4016–4021.
Drewett JG, Garbers DL. The family of guanylyl cyclase receptors and their ligands. Endocr Rev 1994;15:135–162.
Dzau VJ. Circulating versus local renin-angiotensin system in cardiovascular homeostasis. Circulation 1988;77:I-4–I-13.
Horiuchi M, Akishita M, Dzau VJ. Recent progress in angiotensin II type 2 receptor research in the cardiovascular system. Hypertension 1999;33:613–621.
Inagami T. Molecular biology and signaling of angiotensin receptors: an overview. J Am Soc Nephrol 1999;10(Suppl 11):S2–S7.
John SW, Krege JH, Oliver PM, et al. Genetic decreases in atrial natriuretic peptide and salt-sensitive hypertension. Science 1995;267:679–681.
Kitamura K, Kangawa K, Kawamoto M, et al. Adrenomedullin: a novel hypotensive peptide isolated from human pheochromocytoma. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1993;192:553–560.
Lifton RP, Gharavi AG, Geller DS. Molecular mechanisms of human hypertension. Cell 2001;104:545–556.
Lopez MJ, Wong SKF, Kishimoto I, et al. Salt-resistant hypertension in mice lacking the guanylyl cyclase-A receptor for atrial natriuretic peptide. Nature 1995;378:65–68.
Mukoyama M, Nakao K, Hosoda K, et al. Brain natriuretic peptide as a novel cardiac hormone in humans: evidence for an exquisite dual natriuretic peptide system, atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide. J Clin Invest 1991;87:1402–1412.
Nakao K, Ogawa Y, Suga S, Imura H. Molecular biology and biochemistry of the natriuretic peptide system. I: Natriuretic peptides. J Hypertens 1992;10:907–912.
Suganami T, Mukoyama M, Sugawara A, et al. Overexpression of brain natriuretic peptide in mice ameliorates immune-mediated renal injury. J Am Soc Nephrol 2001;12:2652–2663.
Takahashi N, Smithies O. Gene targeting approaches to analyzing hypertension. J Am Soc Nephrol 1999;10:1598–1605.
Tamura N, Ogawa Y, Chusho H, et al. Cardiac fibrosis in mice lacking brain natriuretic peptide. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2000;97:4239–4244.
Yanagisawa M, Kurihara H, Kimura S, et al. A novel potent vasoconstrictor peptide produced by vascular endothelial cells. Nature 1988;332:411–415.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mukoyama, M., Nakao, K. (2005). Hormones of the Kidney. In: Melmed, S., Conn, P.M. (eds) Endocrinology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-829-8_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-829-8_23
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-427-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-829-8
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)