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Biomedical subjects

M Lis

Publications and source records attributed to M Lis.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Corticotropin-releasing activity of alpha-melanotropin.

Synthetic alpha-melanotropin stimulated the release of immunoreactive adrenocorticotropin from primary cultures of rat anterior pituitary cells. The effect of the alpha-melanotropin was dose-dependent. Cells incubated with synthetic arginine-vasopressin and alpha-melanotropin simultaneously produced an amount of adrenocorticotropin that was greater than the sum of the amount that the cells produced in response to each peptide added separately. Other peptides structurally similar to alpha-melanotropin, such as, beta-, gamma 1-, gamma 2-, and gamma 3-melanotropin, were also tested for adrenocorticotropin-releasing activity. Only the gamma 3-melanotropin demonstrated a statistically significant effect. A vasopressin preparation (Pitressin, Parke-Davis) purified from posterior pituitaries and previously shown to contain some alpha-melanotropin was much more potent in releasing adrenocorticotropin than the synthetic vasopressin.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1982

Primary hyperaldosteronism: a pituitary--adrenal dysfunction related to a new pituitary glycopeptide?

A novel glycopeptide has been isolated from human and porcine pituitary glands. This substance is the amino-terminal fragment of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). The complete amino acid sequence has been determined. When tested for its steroid stimulating activity on an aldosterone secreting human adrenocortical adenoma, it was found to be more potent than angiotensin and ACTH. These results raise the interesting possibility that primary hyperaldosteronism could be related to a pituitary adrenal dysfunction.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1981

Primary structure of the major human pituitary pro-opiomelanocortin NH2-terminal glycopeptide. Evidence for an aldosterone-stimulating activity.

The isolation and complete purification of a human glycopeptide representing the major immunoreactive form of the pituitary NH2-terminal segment of pro-opiomelanocortin is presented. The complete sequence of this peptide was determined following CNBr fragmentation and it is shown to be 76 amino acids long. It bears an O-glycosylation site at Thr 45 and an N-glycosidic linkage at Asn 65. Compared to the reported genomic DNA sequence (Chang, A. C. Y., Cochet, M., and Cohen, S. N. (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 77, 4890-4894), one variation exists, namely Arg 22 replacing Gly 22. Two disulfide bridges linking Cys 2 to 8 and Cys 20 to 24 have been determined. Based on the sequence and disulfide bridge localization, a large degree of homology exists between the NH2-terminal sequence of the human peptide and all calcitonins, especially porcine calcitonin. The human NH2-terminal peptide is shown to stimulate the release of aldosterone from isolated cells of a human adrenal tumor, in at least equipotency to adrenocorticotropic hormone and the porcine NH2-terminal analogue, which is 100 times more potent than angiotensin II. Finally, this reported sequence completes that of the human DNA which was lacking the first 19 amino acids due to the presence of a 2-kilobase intron.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1981

Expression of variant forms of proopiomelanocortin, the common precursor to corticotropin and beta-lipotropin in the rat pars intermedia.

Proopiomelanocortin, the common glycoprotein precursor to adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH), is the most abundant protein synthesized in rat neurointermediate lobes. It represents 30% of the total amount of radioactive proteins obtained after a 1-h pulse incubation with [3H]phenylalanine. Several forms of this protein can be separated by a high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis technique. The three most abundant species which can be reproducibly characterized by their apparent molecular weights (Mr) and isoelectric points (pI) were called form I (Mr 34 000; pI 8.2), form II (Mr 36 000; pI 8.2), and form III (Mr 35 000; pI 7.3). Additional minor forms, representing together approximately 30% of the total forms I, II, and III combined, are also observed. They have very close molecular weights but differ by their isoelectric points. When glycosylation is prevented by tunicamycin, forms I and II are replaced by a new molecule with the same pI of 8.2 but a slightly lower Mr (32 000). This form is referred to as form T1. Similarly, form III is replaced by form T2 (Mr 33 000; pI 7.3). Forms T1 and T2 are supposed to be nonglycoslyated peptides. They were further characterized by microsequencing and peptide mapping. They both have the same N-terminal amino acid sequence with leucine residues in positions 3 and 11, and they both contain identical [3H]phenylalanine-labeled tryptic fragments, two of them corresponding to the sequences 1-8 of ACTH and 61-69 of beta-LPH. However, a limited digestion with the Staphylococcus aureus (V8 strain) protease generates a collection of peptides different for each form. These results suggest the presence of at least two different gene products corresponding to the major forms of proopiomelanocortin in the rat pars intermedia.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1981

Role of Ca2+ in response of adrenal glomerulosa cells to angiotensin II, ACTH, K+, and ouabain.

The effects of Na+-K+-ATPase inhibition by ouabain and blockage of Ca2+ influx into the cell by verapamil and lanthanum on the response of isolated rat adrenal glomerulosa cells to angiotensin II, ACTH, and K+ were studied. Ouabain significantly increased basal aldosterone output at a concentration of 10(-5) mol/liter, whereas at 10(-3) mol/liter basal secretion was unaffected. Steroidogenic response to angiotensin II was significantly potentiated at concentrations of ouabain of 10(-5) mol/liter, but responses to angiotensin II, ACTH, and K+ were inhibited by 10(-4) and 10(-3) mol/liter of ouabain. The Ca2+ antagonist verapamil (10(-6) to 10(-4) mol/liter) decreased basal aldosterone secretion as well as the response to angiotensin II, ACTH, and K+. The effects of ouabain (10(-5) mol/liter) on basal and stimulated steroidogenesis were abolished by verapamil (10(-4) mol/liter). Lanthanum decreased basal and angiotensin II, ACTH, and K+ induced aldosterone secretion. The effects of ouabain (10(-5) mol/liter) on basal and stimulated aldosterone biosynthesis were blocked by lanthanum. These results suggest that Ca2+ mediates the effects of angiotensin II, ACTH, K+ and Na+-K+-ATPase inhibition on aldosterone biosynthesis. Ca2+ may be the final common intracellular messenger of most aldosterone secretagogues.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1981

Effect of N-terminal portion of pro-opiomelanocortin on aldosterone release by human adrenal adenoma in vitro.

An adrenal cortex adenoma, surgically removed from a female patient with primary aldosteronism, was used to examine the effect of ACTH, angiotensin II, gamma 3-MSH, and the N-terminal fragment of pro-opiomelanocortin purified from porcine anterior pituitaries on aldosterone release in vitro. Primary cultures of tumor cells were incubated as a monolayer in a 96-well microtitration plate and the aldosterone release was measured in the incubation medium after 2 h of incubation in the presence of absence of different concentrations of the peptides. On a molar basis, the N-terminal portion of pro-opiomelanocortin seems to have the highest activity of all of the peptides assayed.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1980

[Biosynthesis of polypeptide hormones].

The biosynthesis of numerous polypeptide hormones implicates two types of precursors: pre- and prohormones. The structure, characteristics, and role of these hormone precursors is discussed taking as examples parathyroid hormone and insulin. After this general introduction, the case of the common precursor for adrenocorticotropin and beta-lipotropin is then discussed. Its maturation proceeds through a serie of proteolytic steps which lead to the formation of various end products characterized each by a biological activity of its own.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1979

Concomitant synthesis of beta-endorphin and alpha-melanotropin from two forms of pro-opiomelanocortin in the rat pars intermedia.

In the pars intermedia of rat pituitary glands, two forms of a common precursor for corticotropin (ACTH) and beta-lipotropin with apparent molecular weights of 34,000 and 36,000 were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate/acrylamide gradient slab gel electrophoresis. High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of [35S]methionine-labeled tryptic fragments of the two forms of the precursor revealed that both contained copies of ACTH-(1-8) and beta-lipotropin-(61-69) sequences. When biosynthetic studies were performed in the presence of tunicamycin, the 34,000- and 36,000-dalton forms were replaced by a peptide with an apparent molecular weight of 32,000. It was therefore concluded that the 34,000- and 36,000-dalton forms of the precursor represent two glycoprotein variants of similar polypeptides, differing in the number of asparagine-linked carbohydrate moieties. During pulse-chase incubations with [35S]methionine, the precursor forms were cleaved into two major groups of labeled products: (i) beta-endorphin and (ii) a mixture of ACTH fragments closely related to alpha-melanotropin. No ACTH-(1-39) was found at the end of a 2-hr chase period, suggesting that ACTH is not a significant hormone product of the rat pars intermedia.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1979

From beta-lipotropin to beta-endorphin and 'pro-opio-melanocortin'.

Studies on the biosynthesis of beta-LPH on the one hand, and of ACTH on the other, have produced a new concept, that of a single precursor form which contains three active molecules. Thus, it is proper to name such a precursor 'pro-opio-melanocortin.' The concept that beta-LPH was a precursor molecule was first put forward in 1967 and was based on both structural forms and biological activities. The discovery that morphine-like substances are part of the C-terminal fragment of beta-LPH brought an additional important biological side product. That, together with the recent demonstration of ACTH as part of a still larger precursor, constitutes an exciting model for the study of peptide hormone biosynthesis. We have shown unambiguously that beta-endorphin is the result of a maturation process from the large precursor, while beta-LPH is an important and transient intermediary. Since it is also present in the brain, our recent results using pars intermedia cells can be applied to study the fabrication and degradation of these molecules in the brain. We expect to see it established that all other neuropeptides are also biosynthesized as larger precursor molecules whose structure at the site of cleavage could well be constituted of two basic amino acids like in the pro-opio-melanocortin.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1979

Experimental hyperlipidemia in rats.

Implantation of MtT-F4 tumor, a mammotropic tumor that secretes large quantities of ACTH, GH and prolactin, into male Fisher rats induced the development of hyperlipidemia. Free fatty acid, triglyceride and cholesterol levels in the plasma were significantly increased at 31 days after tumor implantation. Blood glucose and glycerol levels remained normal, while uric acid concentration in the blood was significantly decreased. The concentrations of the serum lipoproteins were significantly increased, while, only small changes in the distribution of the serum lipids and the composition of the lipoproteins were observed. Following stimulation of isolated adipose tissue cells with ACTH, the lipolytic response and the accumulation of cyclic AMP was higher in cells derived from the rats with the tumor, although the accumulation of cyclic GMP was not different from control adipocytes. Further, when the isolated adipose tissue cells were stimulated with dibutyryl cyclic AMP no difference was observed between the control and tumor bearing groups. Clofibrate administered in the diet resulted in a complete elimination of the tumor effect on serum triglycerides and to a great extent prevented the rise in serum cholesterol. The tumor-induced increase in the concentration of the high density lipoproteins was not affected, but the elevation of the d less than 1.063 lipoproteins was not affected, but the elevation of the d less than 1.063 lipoproteins was partially reversed. The increased lipolytic response and accumulation of cyclic AMP following stimulation by ACTH was not altered in adipocytes derived from tumor bearing rats. However, clofibrate treatment resulted in a significantly greater accumulation of cyclic GMP in fat cells stimulated with ACTH from both control and tumor bearing rats. Clofibrate in the diet did not alter the levels of GH or prolactin or serum lipids in the control rats nor were the elevated hormone levels of the tumor bearing rats changed.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1979

Beta-lipotropin precursor of beta-MSH and beta-endorphin.

The molecule beta-lipotropin, composed of 91 amino acids (beta-LPH 1-91) has gained considerable importance in recent years. Its double role as the precursor of beta-MSH (beta-LPH 41-58) and beta-endorphin (beta-LPH 61-91) makes this peptide unique in its kind. Results are presented on the role of this molecule and on the complete characterization of two morphine-like peptides from human and sheep pituitaries. The structure-activity relationship of opiate activity is analyzed by scanning for this biological activity of many tryptic and CNBr fragments of beta-lipotropin. The unequivocal localization of one of the important synthesis sites of beta-endorphin in the pituitary neurointermediate lobe is presented. A peptide with partial sequence Met1, Leu8,15 and Lys6,11, 27, 29, 33 has been biosynthesized in large quantities and its ubiquitous nature and conservation of sequence speaks for its importance and possible presence in many living cells. This polypeptide was subsequently identified as ubiquitin, a non-histone fragment of the nuclear protein A-24.

Amino Acid Sequence↗