Nomenclature for Atrial Peptides

To the Editor: The recent discovery of biologically active peptides in mammalian atria represents an important advance in the area of cardiovascular and renal research. However, these peptides have been given different names by different investigators (e.g., atrial natriuretic factor, atrial natriuretic peptide, auriculin, cardionatrin, atrin, and atriopeptin). Most investigators in this field agree that a uniformity in terminology is necessary to improve communication. In response to the need to establish an acceptable nomenclature, a committee on nomenclature and standardization was jointly established by the International Society of Hypertension, the American Heart Association, and the World Health Organization, with the . . .