Modulation of mouse renin gene expression by dietary sodium chloride intake in one-gene, two-gene and transgenic animals.

We have studied the effect of dietary NaCl loading on renin gene expression in one-gene, two-gene and transgenic mouse strains. By Northern blotting, we found an approximate twofold reduction in renin messenger (m) RNA in the kidneys of high-NaCl-treated compared with low-NaCl-treated animals. Using an RNase-protection assay designed to discriminate between the different renin gene transcripts, we have shown that renin mRNAs derived from the Ren-1C gene of one-gene strains and the Ren-1D and Ren-2 genes of two-gene animals are all NaCl-responsive. Renin mRNA derived from a 19 kilobase Ren-1D transgene is also NaCl-responsive.