Rat corticotropin-releasing hormone gene: sequence and tissue-specific expression.

The rat corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) gene has been isolated and characterized by DNA sequence analysis. The gene exhibits a structural organization similar to that of the human CRH gene. The nucleotide sequence encoding the entire rat CRH precursor is located on the second exon, while exon I encodes the 5'-untranslated region of the mRNA. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence homology between the human and rat CRH genes reveals several highly conserved regions including the CRH peptide-encoding sequence and the 5'-flanking sequence. RNA blot analysis demonstrates that CRH mRNA can be observed in numerous regions of the rat brain as well as the spinal cord, adrenal gland, pituitary, and testis.