ANTIBODIES TO ATRIAL PEPTIDE RECEPTOR

ATRIAL NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE (ANP) BINDS TO MULTIPLE CELL SURFACE RECEPTORS IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TISSUES, RESULTING IN EFFECTS RELATED TO CARDIOVASCULAR HOMEOSTASIS. THIS RESEARCH INVOLVES THE GENERATION OF SPECIFIC ANTIBODIESTO A CLONED ANP RECEPTOR THAT APPEARS TO FUNCTION IN THE METABOLIC CLEARANCE OF ANP. SPECIFICALLY, IT IS PLANNED TO USE A RECOMBINANT VACCINIA VIRUS EXPRESSING CLONED RECEPTOR SEQUENCES TO GENERATE ANP-RECEPTOR-SPECIFIC ANTISERA. THE RECEPTOR, TERMED THE C-ANP RECEPTOR, IS A THERAPEUTICALLY IMPORTANT TARGET BECAUSE ANP ANALOGS THAT BIND TO THIS RECEPTOR LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN ENDOGENOUS ANP LEVELS. POLYCLONAL AND MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES THAT CAN BIND TO THIS SPECIFIC CLASS OF RECEPTORS AND/OR INHIBIT THE LIGAND-RECEPTOR INTERACTION WILL BE VALUABLE IN DISCERNING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE, TISSUE DISTRIBUTION, AND MOLECULAR ARCHITECTURE OF THE ANP RECEPTOR UNDER VARIOUS NORMAL AND PATHOLOGIC CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION, THE ANTIBODIES WILL BE IMPORTANT TOOLS TO AID IN THE DESIGN OF THERAPEUTIC AGENTS THAT INTERACT WITH THIS RECEPTOR.