In 1981, de Bold et al. (1981) observed a massive and rapid diuresis and
natriuresis in recipient rats following the administration of atrial
homogenates from other rats. Since this observation, progress has been ex￾traordinary. Few aspects of modern physiology illustrate better the tremen￾dous progress in modern technology for the isolation of proteins, their se￾quencing and synthesis, the study of structure-activity relationships, the clon￾ing of the cDNA and of the gene, the localization of the latter on the
Important note: Measurements of ANF have been expressed in the text as picomoles per liter,
which is the same as fentomoles per milliliter. This is obtained by dividing the amount in
picograms per milliliter by 3.06. The reverse is 1 pg/ml = 0.324 fmol/ml or 0.324 pmol/1 The Atrial Natriuretic Factor: Its Physiology and Biochemistry 3
chromosomal map, the measurement of the mRNA coding for the atrial
natriuretic factor (ANF), and the synthesis of analogues (Cantin and Genest
1985; Atlas 1986; Flynn and Davies 1985; Needleman et al. 1985).