Human renin gene: structure and sequence analysis.

Abstract

The complete protein precursor of human kidney renin was determined from the sequence of cloned genomic DNA. The gene spans 12 kilobases of DNA and is interrupted by 8 intervening sequences. The 9 regions (exons) encoding the protein were mapped with a mouse renin c[complementary]DNA probe, synthetic oligonucleotide probes, and by hybridization of genomic restriction fragments to a 1600-nucleotide human kidney mRNA. The predicted 403-amino acid preprorenin consists of mature renin and a 66-residue amino-terminal prepropeptide. The DNA sequence 5'' to the 1st exon indicates the location of a transcriptional promoter (T-A-T-A-A-A) for a mRNA encoding preprorenin. An additional transcriptional promoter site is located within the 1st intron, which, if used, would express a shortened nonsecreted prorenin. The structure of the human renin gene is similar to that of human pepsinogen, a closely related aspartyl protease enzyme. Renin and pepsinogen evidently have a common evolutionary origin.