Cloning and sequence analysis of a cDNA encoding a precursor for rat C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP)

Recent identification of a C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) in porcine brain strongly suggested that a third member of the natriuretic peptide family still remains to be identified in other species of mammals. A cDNA encoding a precursor for rat CNP was cloned from a rat brain cDNA library and sequenced. The precursor was a 126-residue peptide, carrying a 23-residue signal sequence at the N-terminus and the known porcine CNP-53 sequence at the C-terminus. By RNA blot analysis, rat CNP mRNA was found to be expressed exclusively in the brain, implying that CNP may function in the central nervous system as a neuropeptide.