Internalization and degradation of natriuretic peptide receptor-A is stimulated by ligand binding

Background Natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPR-A) is a transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase that binds and mediates the effects of atrial and B-type natriuretic peptides (ANP/ BNP). Internalization and ligand-dependent degradation of NPR-A is controversial, in part due to the use of ligand binding studies to predict the cellular location of the receptor. Here, we used a more direct sequential immunoprecipitation-western blot assay to demonstrate that longterm ANP exposure increases NPR-A degradation in primary, immortalized, and transfected cells.