Uroguanylin and guanylin: distinct but overlapping patterns of messenger RNA expression in mouse intestine.

Abstract

Uroguanylin and guanylin, endogenous ligands of the guanylate cyclase C receptor, are presumed to mediate fluid and electrolyte secretion in the intestine. The aim of this study was to characterize the expression patterns of uroguanylin and guanylin messenger RNA (mRNA) in the mouse intestine. A mouse uroguanylin complementary DNA was amplified from a partial genomic clone, and Northern analyses and in situ hybridization were performed to localize guanylin and uroguanylin mRNA along the duodenal-colonic and crypt-villus axes. Uroguanylin mRNA was expressed throughout the mouse intestine and also in the kidney. Signal intensity was greatest in the small intestine for uroguanylin and in the distal small intestine and colon for guanylin. In situ hybridization showed uroguanylin mRNA localized predominantly in intestinal villi and the corticomedullary junction of the kidney, whereas guanylin mRNA was localized in both crypts and villi in the small intestine and to superficial epithelial cells in the colon. Mouse uroguanylin mRNA expression is discrete from guanylin expression in the intestine. The patterns of distribution in the intestine and the known pH optima of these ligands suggest a complementary role for these secretagogues.