ACE 2, a novel homologue of angiotensin converting enzyme, has recently been identi¢ed. This study used QRT-PCR to quantitatively map the transcriptional expression pro¢le of ACE 2 (and the two isoforms of ACE) in 72 human tissues. While con¢rming that ACE 2 expression is high in renal and cardiovascular tissues, the novel observation has been made that ACE 2 shows comparably high levels of expression in the gastrointestinal system, in particular in ileum, duodenum, jejunum, caecum and colon. Therefore, in probing the functional signi¢-cance of this novel peptidase, some consideration should be given to a role in gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology.

No abstract