SUMMARY One-kidney, one clip (1K1C) hypertension is often associated with an expanded plasma volume and (once the arterial clip is removed) with natriuresis. Blood pressure (BP), atrial and plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic factor (AND, hematocrit, and renal glomerular ANF receptors were therefore studied in 1K1C rats and in their normotensive uninephrectomized controls before and after unclipping. Six hours after removal of the clip, BP was normal in the 1K1C group and plasma ANF presented a sharp decline but was still significantly higher than in the normotensive controls, with a slight difference being evident 24 hours after unclipping. Hematocrit was lower in the 1K1C rats than in their control counterparts, but this difference tended to disappear once the clip was removed, indicating a contraction of plasma volume in these undipped 1K1C animals. The renal glomerular ANF receptor population was markedly smaller in 1K1C rats than in the uninephrectomized controls but showed a twofold increase in number and affinity 24 hours after unclipping. It is concluded that the up-regulation and enhanced affinity of glomerular ANF receptors (probably secondary to the decrease in plasma levels of ANF) may contribute to the natriuresis reported in hypertensive 1K1C animals on removal of the arterial clip. (Hypertension 11: 185-190, 1988) KEY WORDS • atrial natriuretic factor • one-kidney, one clip hypertenslqn renal glomerular atrial natriuretic factor receptors • natriuresis T HE one-kidney, one clip (1K1C) paradigm is believed to be a volume-expanded model of experimental hypertension, 1 with early sodium retention 23 and increased exchangeable sodium levels. 4 Unclipping of the remaining kidney is usually followed by marked natriuresis 3 and permanent, almost immediate reversal of hypertension. 13 We have recently reported 6 that the high plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) in 1K1C animals with 4 weeks of hypertension declined rapidly 6 hours after the clip was removed but re- Received February 11, 1987; accepted September 8, 1987. mained significantly higher than in the controls for 5 days after unclipping. In these experiments, removal of the clip was also accompanied by a rapid normalization of blood pressure (BP) and by weight loss, which quickly returned to control levels. This acute transient decrease in weight was suggestive of increased natriuresis and depletion of body fluid. Since it has been well documented that specific ANF receptors present in renal glomeruli 7 ' 8 can be manipulated by physiological interventions, which result in changes in the plasma concentration of ANF, 9> 10 and since the glomerulus is a major target of ANF, we have hypothesized 6 that the natriuresis observed in 1K1C rats after unclipping could be partially due to their higher plasma ANF levels and to modifications of specific glomerular ANF binding sites. Indeed, it has recently been shown that vascular ANF receptors, both in cultured smooth muscle" and in blood vessels of 1K1C 12 and deoxycortico...