RAT RENIN GENE-TRANSCRIPTION IS INITIATED AT A SINGLE START SITE

The promoter region of the renin gene in man, mouse and rat contains s everal putative transcription start sites, which in mouse have been sh own to be tissue specific and differently regulated, To investigate wh ich of these start sites are used during stimulation of renin gene tra nscription by the major physiological control factors, we determined t he trancription start sites of rat renin in the kidney and adrenal gla nds by RNase protection using a cRNA probe spanning 387 bases upstream and 121 bases downstream from the canonical transcription initiation site. To stimulate renin gene expression, we used renal artery stenosi s, angiotensin II antagonists, furosemide and isoprenaline infusions a nd low sodium diet, Our results suggest that only one TATA box is func tional in rat kidney and adrenal.