Atrial and brain natriuretic peptides stimulate the production and secretion of C-type natriuretic peptide from bovine aortic endothelial cells.

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a member of the natriuretic peptide family which is produced in vascular endothelial cells and may play an important paracrine role in the vasaculature. We sought to determine the regulation of CNP production by other vasoactive peptides from cultured aortic endothelial cells. The vasoconstrictors endothelin-1 and angiotensin II had little effect on the basal secretion of CNP. In contrast, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) strongly stimulated the secretion of CNP. BNP caused as much as a 400-fold enhancement above the basal accumulated secretion of CNP over 24 h at a concentration of 1 microM; this was 20 times greater than the stimulatory effect of ANP, BNP and ANP also significantly enhanced the production of new CNP protein (translation) and mRNA expressed in the BAEC. In contrast, C-ANP-4-23, a truncated form of ANP which selectively binds to the natriuretic peptide clearance receptor, did not stimulate CNP secretion. The enhanced production and secretion of CNP, caused by either ANP or BNP, was significantly prevented by LY 83583, an inhibitor of cGMP generation, and was also attenuated by KT 5823, an inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Our results indicate that ANP and BNP can stimulate CNP production through a guanylate cyclase receptor on endothelial cells. BNP is a much more potent stimulator of CNP secretion, compared to ANP. Our findings suggest that the vasodilatory, and anti-mitogenic effects of ANP and BNP in the vasculature could occur in part through CNP production and subsequent action if these interactions occur in vivo.