Sequence analysis and expression of the mouse full-length vasoactive intestinal contractor/endothelin-2 gene (EDN2): comparison with the endothelin-1 gene (EDN1)

Vasoactive intestinal contractor (VIC)/endothelin-2 (ET2) is a vasoactive peptide hormone comprising 21 amino acids. The complete nucleotide sequence of the full-length gene encoding preproVIC (PPVIC) was determined. The PPVIC gene contains five exons that span 6kb and shows a duplication on exons 2 and 3, coding for the VIC and VIC-like peptides respectively. Similarities between the genomic organization of the PPVIC/preproET2 and preproendothelin-1 genes suggest that the two are distantly related. PPVIC gene expression was observed in foetal and adult mouse intestine. The expression level in adults was approx. 10-fold higher than in the foetus, suggesting an involvement of VIC in intestinal development.