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Uroguanylin gene expression in the alimentary tract and extra‐gastrointestinal tissues
Author(s) -
Miyazato Mikiya,
Nakazato Masamitsu,
Matsukura Shigeru,
Kangawa Kenji,
Matsuo Hisayuki
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(96)01235-5
Subject(s) - water transport , gastrointestinal tract , complementary dna , biology , amino acid , signal peptide , biochemistry , peptide sequence , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , gene , water flow , environmental engineering , engineering
Uroguanylin, a member of the guanylin peptide family, is a novel peptide regulator for intestinal salt and water transport. A cDNA encoding a precursor for rat uroguanylin was cloned from a rat jejunum cDNA library and sequenced. The precursor was 106 amino acids long and included a 21 residue putative signal peptide at the N‐terminus. Rat uroguanylin consisted of 15 amino acids similar to, but distinct from human uroguanylin; the C‐terminal leucine residue was deleted and 3 residues were substituted compared to those in the human peptide. Synthetic rat uroguanylin‐15 dose‐dependently increased the cyclic GMP level in cultured T84 cells. RNA blot analysis showed that rat uroguanylin mRNA is expressed not only in the gastrointestinal tract but also in the lung, pancreas and kidney. Evidence for uroguanylin expression in extra‐gastrointestinal tissues indicates the possible existence of a novel system for water and electrolyte homeostasis, and a more global effect of uroguanylin on epithelial cell function.