DEVELOPMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM

Molecular, cellular, and physiological studies indicate that the renin -angiotensin system (RAS) is highly expressed during early kidney deve lopment, We propose that a major function of the RAS during early embr yonic development is the modulation of growth processes that lead the primitive kidney into a properly differentiated and architecturally or ganized organ suited for independent extrauterine life, As development progresses, the RAS acquires new and overlapping functions such as th e endocrine and paracrine regulation of blood pressure and renal hemod ynamics, Disease states in adult mammals often result in expression of RAS genes and phenotypic changes resembling the embryonic pattern, em phasizing the importance of undertaking developmental studies. Because of their importance in health and disease, the immediate challenge is to identify the mechanisms that regulate the unique development of th e RAS and its role(s) in normal and abnormal growth processes. (C) 199 5 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.