Patent ID: 8741842

Claim:
A polypeptide less than 44 amino acid residues in length, wherein said polypeptide comprises, in an order from amino terminus to carboxy terminus: (a) the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 or the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 with no more than two additions, subtractions, or substitutions, (b) the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2 or the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2 with no more than one addition, subtraction, or substitution, and (c) the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:7 or the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:7 with no more than two additions, subtractions, or substitutions, wherein said polypeptide, when administered to a mammal, induces a decrease in mean arterial pressure to a lesser extent than that induced by human BNP, when said human BNP is administered to a mammal.