Angiotensin-converting enzyme
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (EC 3.4.15.1), or ACE, is a central component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which controls blood pressure by regulating the volume of fluids in the body. It converts the hormone angiotensin I to the active vasoconstrictor angiotensin II. Therefore, ACE indirectly increases blood pressure by causing blood vessels to constrict. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are widely used as pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
The enzyme was discovered by Leonard T. Skeggs Jr. in 1956.
It is located mainly in the capillaries of the lungs but can also be found in endothelial and kidney epithelial cells.
Other less-known functions of ACE are the degradation of bradykinin and amyloid beta-protein.
see Angiotensin converting enzyme polymorphisms.
Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE): abnormally elevated in 83% of patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis, but in only 11% with inactive disease 1). False-positive rate: 2–3%; may also be elevated in primary biliary cirrhosis.