We constructed in mice the chimeric renin-angiotensin cascade comprising human renin, human angiotensinogen, and the endogenous angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensin II (A II) receptors by crossmating separate lines of transgenic mice carrying either gene. Although hypertension did not develop in the single-gene carriers despite the observed tissue-specific expression of the transgenes, dual-gene strains exhibited a chronically sustained increase in blood pressure (BP). The systolic BP was 130 +/- 7 mmHg, which is about 30 mmHg higher than that of control mice. Administration of a selective antagonist directed at the A II receptor decreased the basal BP in both single-gene and dual-gene mice. In addition, we generated two lines of knockout mice by homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells. One line consisted of angiotensionogen-deficient mice, which failed to produce angiotensinogen in the liver, resulting in the complete loss of plasma angiotensin 1. The systolic BP of the mice was 66.9 +/- 4.1 mmHg, significantly lower than that of the controls (100.4 +/- 4.4 mmHg). The second line consisted of A II-receptor type la-deficient mice, which also exhibited hypotension (24 mmHg lower than that of controls). These results demonstrated that the renin-angiotensin system plays an indispensable role in maintaining normal BP in vivo, and cannot be replaced by other hormonal and neuronal systems.