The renin angiotensin aldosterone system is an important regulator of the extracellular volume and of the control of blood pressure. It is mainly controlled in its activity by the rate of renin release from the kidney. Within the kidney renin is produced, stored and released from the so-called granular juxtaglomerular cells. These cells are modified smooth muscle cells and are found in the tunica media of the afferent arteriole, just adjacent to the glomerulus. They resemble morphologically vascular smooth muscle cells but have also characteristic features of secretory cells with respect to a welldeveloped endoplasmic reticulum, a prominent Golgi-apparatus and membrane bound granules containing renin [6,73].Since the rate of renin release from juxtaglomerular cells has a direct effect on blood pressure and because an enhanced rate of renin release is known to be a major reason of hypertension, the mechanisms controlling renal renin release have attracted considerable interest among physiologists, pharmacologists and clinicians.So far four basic mechanisms controlling renin release from the kidney have been described [26]. These comprise 1. The intra-renal blood pressure, which influences renin release by an as yet undefined baroreceptor.2. The amount of NaCl-load sensed by the macula densa segment of the distal tubule (macula densa sensor).3. The sympathetic nervous system 4. A large number of humoral factors like catecholamines, angiotensin II, vasopressin, atrial natriuretic peptide as well as metabolites as for example adenosine.In spite of the large body of findings about the modulation and alteration of renal renin release, the intracellular mechanisms by which renin release is controlled within the juxtaglomerular cells are not clearly understood.During the last years the mechanisms of physiological and pharmacological alterations of renin release have been reviewed [26, 36, 39]. The present contribution wants to concentrate on the intracellular processes that influence renin release from juxtaglomerular cells. The available information will be discussed in front of the background of the present knowledge about the general mechanisms of secretion.For a variety of secretory cells including adrenal medulla and cortex, pituitary, exocrine and endocrine pancreas, neutrophils and platelets it has been found that the secretory process is triggered by the intracellular levels of calcium and cyclic nucleotides and further by the activity of protein kinase C [12,33,64,68,[70][71][72]. I shall therefore discuss in special the role of intracellular calcium, intracellular cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP and protein kinase C activity in the control of renin release from juxtaglomerular cells. In this context I will also present our own results obtained from studies on the intracellular control of renin release from isolated juxtaglomerular cells.
Role of Calcium in the Intracellular Control of Renin ReleaseThe typical secretory process in a large number of secreting cells has been found to be biphasic. The secretory process ...