Structure of the bovine atrial natriuretic peptide receptor (type C) gene

The bovine gene encoding the type C atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) receptor was isolated and characterized. The gene appears to exist as a single copy in the haploid genome and is comprised of eight exons distributed over more than 85 kilobases. The transcription start site was identified by primer extension and ribonuclease protection assay. A "TATA" box-like sequence was found just upstream of the start site (at position -32); however, no CAAT box was apparent. Exon boundaries of the ANP receptor gene correlated well with the functional domain boundaries of the receptor protein; for example, exon 1 contains coding information for a large proportion of the ANP-binding domain and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains are encoded by separate exons, namely by exon 7 and exon 8, respectively. These structural features suggest that the organization of the ANP receptor gene reflects the domain structure of the receptor.