Definition of "renin" [renin]

• A proteinase of high specificity that is released by the kidney and acts to raise blood pressure by activating angiotensin. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "What happens is the kidneys in some ways, John, get overloaded and as a result of having all of that excess salt they start to release these hormones called renin, r-e-n-i-n, and what that causes is a shrinking of the blood vessels."
• "Drugs that block a hormonal cascade, known as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system"
• "The discovery provides insight into a protein, renin, that is important in blood pressure regulation ..."