Renin-angiotensin system: Genes to bedside

Atherosclerosis and its vascular sequela are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality rates. Several risk Factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and the search for other risk factors continues on the medical horizon. Renin-angiotensin system (RAS), a multienzyme, multilocale axis, has been extensively studied as an important mediator of atherosclerosis. Recently, the tissue-based angiotensin system has been suggested as the most significant pathway of RAS. A genetic polymorphism in the human gene for the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), one of the two enzymes of RAS, has been found to have a strong association with higher risk for acute coronary events, sudden cardiac death, vascular restenosis after angioplasty, and idiopathic and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Clinical and animal data support angiotensin II to be the final common pathway in the enzyme cascade of RAS and ACE as the key enzyme in the generation of Angiotensin II. ACE gene polymorphism appears to modify expression of cellular and free ACE levels and could represent a genetic marker for cardiovascular disease.