Renin and cathepsin D were purified by seven-step procedures involving five steps common to both enzymes. These common five steps were extraction of freeze-dried kidney powder in 30% methoxyethanol-water, diethylaminoethyl-cellulose (DEAE-cellulose) batch absorption and elution, pepstatin-aminohexyl-Sepharose chromatography, Sephadex G-100 chromatography, and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The renin component was purified further by passage through an anti-rat spleen cathepsin D immunoglobulin G-Sepharose (IgG-Sepharose) column followed by carboxymethyl-Sephadex (CM-Sepharose) chromatography which separated two renin components. Cathepsin D activity obtained by the fifth step was purified by passage through an anti-rat kidney renin IgG-Sepharose column followed by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography which separated three cathepsin D components. The homogeneity of renin and cathepsin D preparations was demonstrated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The two components of renins showed molecular weights of 42 000 and 36 000 by gel filtration and 38 000 and 36 000 by SDS gel electrophoresis, respectively. They showed isoelectric points of 5.35 and 5.65 by electrofocusing in 5% polyacrylamide gels. Their optimum pHs of enzyme activity were 6.5 as determined by using nephrectomized rat plasma as a substrate. Their specific angiotensin I (Ang I) generation activities were 158 and 146 micrograms of Ang I (microgram of protein)-1 h-1, respectively, which correspond to 1100 and 1020 Goldblatt units (mg of protein)-1 h-1. The three cathepsins showed molecular weights of 41 000, 43 000, and 41 000 by gel filtration and 46 000, 45 000, and 46 000 by SDS gel electrophoresis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)