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Results for “Proprotein Convertase 1”

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PubMed2005

Inhibition of prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) expression in cholecystokinin (CCK) expressing At-T20 cells decreased cellular content and secretion of CCK and caused a shift in molecular forms of CCK secreted.

Two different RNAi methods were used to inhibit the expression of prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) in At-T20 cells. Transient transfection of double stranded RNA and stable expression of a vector expressing hairpin-loop RNA targeting PC1 reduced cholecystokinin (CCK) secretion from At-T20 cells. PC1 mRNA and protein were also decreased in the vector transfected cells. This treatment caused a shift in the forms of cholecystokinin (CCK) secreted, decreasing CCK 22 and increasing CCK 8. Stable expression of RNAi effectively decreased PC1 expression. The observed decrease in CCK seen with these RNAi treatments further supports a role for PC1 in CCK processing in these cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

ProSAAS and prohormone convertase 1 are broadly expressed during mouse development.

ProSAAS (encoded by mouse gene Pcsk1n) is a recently described neuroendocrine secretory pathway protein that is cleaved into smaller peptides that may function in cell-cell signalling. ProSAAS and its processing intermediates are also potent inhibitors of prohormone convertase 1 (PC1), which is encoded by mouse gene Pcsk1. In order to gain insight into the function of proSAAS, we have examined the distribution of several proSAAS-derived peptides and PC1 by immunohistochemistry throughout mouse development. The distribution patterns of both SAAS and PC1 are broad from E9 to E11, with some enrichment in neural tube-derived tissues. By E15, the expression of SAAS is largely restricted to neuroendocrine tissues known to produce bioactive peptides. In general, the expression pattern of PC1 overlaps with that of SAAS and other proSAAS-derived peptides, consistent with the hypothesis that proSAAS functions as an endogenous PC1 inhibitor.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Obesity, hyperphagia and increased metabolic efficiency in Pc1 mutant mice.

Prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) mutations lead to obesity in humans. However, Pc1 knockout mice do not become obese; in fact, they are runted due to a defect in growth-hormone releasing hormone processing, leading to the speculation that PC1 subserves different functions between mouse and human. Here, we report a novel allele of mouse Pc1 (N222D) that leads to obesity, abnormal proinsulin processing and multiple endocrinological defects. Increased energy intake and a more efficient metabolism contribute to the obesity in Pc1(N222D/N222D) mice. Defective proinsulin processing leads to glucose intolerance, but neither insulin resistance nor diabetes develop despite obesity. The obesity is associated with impaired autocatalytic activation of mature PC1 and reduced hypothalamic alpha-MSH. This is the first characterization of Pc1 mutation in a model organism that mimics human PC1 deficiency.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Embryonic gene expression and pro-protein processing of proSAAS during rodent development.

In vitro assays have demonstrated that peptides derived from the recently-identified proSAAS precursor inhibit prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) suggesting that this novel peptide may function as an endogenous inhibitor of PC1. To further understand the role of proSAAS in vivo, we have investigated the expression of proSAAS mRNA and processing of proSAAS during pre- and early postnatal rodent development. In situ hybridization showed that, by embryonic day 12.5 (e12.5) in the rat, proSAAS mRNA was present in essentially all differentiating neurons in the mantle layer of the myelencephalon, metencephalon, diencephalon, spinal cord and several sympathetic ganglia. During later stages of prenatal development, widespread proSAAS expression continues in post-mitotic neurons of both the CNS and PNS and begins in endocrine cells of the anterior and intermediate pituitary. Although proSAAS expression overlaps with PC1 in several regions, its overall expression pattern is significantly more extensive, suggesting that proSAAS may be multifunctional during development. Processed forms of proSAAS are present by at least mid-gestation with marked accumulation of two C-terminal forms, comprising the PC1 inhibitory fragment of proSAAS.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) processing and sorting: effect of PC1 propeptide and proSAAS.

Prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) is a serine proteinase responsible for the proteolytic processing of many precursor proteins within the regulated secretory pathway. The activity of PC1 is potentially regulated by two endogenous inhibitors, the PC1 propeptide and proSAAS. Here we have investigated the effect of proSAAS and propeptide-containing constructs on PC1 carboxy-terminal processing and activity. In AtT-20 cells, proSAAS expression inhibited both C-terminal PC1 processing and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) processing under pulse/chase conditions. SAAS CT peptide-propeptide chimeric constructs had no effect on the cleavage of PC1 and POMC under pulse/chase conditions. However, a construct containing the propeptide alone reduced C-terminal PC1 processing under pulse/chase conditions and also inhibited POMC processing. In contrast, experiments using HEK293 cells transiently expressing PC1 plus the respective constructs demonstrated significant inhibition of zymogen processing and decreased C-terminal processing of PC1 by the SAAS CT peptide portion of the chimera. Our results suggest that the PC1 propeptide expressed in trans is able to act as an endogenous inhibitor of PC1, but that SAAS CT peptide-containing/propeptide constructs cannot function as effective inhibitors of precursor maturation in the regulated pathway.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Neuropeptide processing profile in mice lacking prohormone convertase-1.

Prohormone convertase 1 (PC1; also known as PC3) is believed to be responsible for the processing of many neuropeptide precursors. To look at the role PC1 plays in neuropeptide processing in brain and pituitary, we used radioimmunoassays (RIA) as well as quantitative peptidomic methods and examined changes in the levels of multiple neuropeptide products in PC1 knockout (KO) mice. The processing of proenkephalin was impaired in PC1 KO mouse brains with a decrease in the level of Met-Enkephalin immunoreactivity (ir-Met-Enk) and an accumulation of higher molecular weight processing intermediates containing ir-Met-Enk. Processing of the neuropeptide precursor VGF was also affected in PC1 KO mouse brains with a decrease in the level of an endogenous 3 kDa C-terminal peptide. In contrast, the processing of proSAAS into PEN was not altered in PC1 KO mouse brains. Quantitative mass spectrometry was used to analyze a number of peptides derived from proopiomelanocortin (POMC), provasopressin, prooxytocin, chromogranin A, chromogranin B, and secretogranin II. Among them, the levels of oxytocin and peptides derived from chromogranin A and B dramatically decreased in the PC1 KO mouse pituitaries, while the levels of peptides derived from proopiomelanocortin and provasopressin did not show substantial changes. In conclusion, these results support the notion that PC1 plays a key role in the processing of multiple neuroendocrine peptide precursors and also reveal the presence of a redundant system in the processing of a number of physiologically important bioactive peptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Furin and prohormone convertase 1/3 are major convertases in the processing of mouse pro-growth hormone-releasing hormone.

We investigated the proteolytic processing of mouse pro-GHRH [84 amino acids (aa)] by furin, PC1/3, PC2, and PC5/6A. We created six point mutations in the N- and C-terminal cleavage sites, RXXR decreased and RXRXXR decreased, respectively. The following results were obtained after transient transfection/cotransfection and metabolic pulse-chase labeling studies in several neuroendocrine cells. 1) Furin was the most efficient convertase in cleaving the N-terminal RXXR/RXRR site to generate intermediate I, 12-84aa, whereas PC1/3 was the most potent in processing the C-terminal RXRXXR site to yield mature GHRH, 12-53aa. 2) Both PC1/3 and PC5/6A also processed the N-terminal site but less efficiently than furin. 3) PC2 was much weaker in cleaving the C-terminal site relative to PC1/3 to generate mature GHRH. 4) The Q10R mutant was significantly more susceptible to furin cleavage at the N-terminal site than the wild-type pro-GHRH. And 5) the N- and C-terminal P1 Arg residues, R11 and R54, respectively, were essential for mature GHRH production. We also showed localization of the GHRH immunoreactive peptides in Golgi and secretory granules in neuroendocrine cells by an immunofluorescence assay. We conclude that the efficient production of mature GHRH from pro-GHRH is a stepwise process mediated predominantly by furin at the N-terminal cleavage site followed by PC1/3 at the C terminus.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

The proprotein convertase PC2 is involved in the maturation of prosomatostatin to somatostatin-14 but not in the somatostatin deficit in Alzheimer's disease.

A somatostatin deficit occurs in the cerebral cortex of Alzheimer's disease patients without a major loss in somatostatin-containing neurons. This deficit could be related to a reduction in the rate of proteolytic processing of peptide precursors. Since the two proprotein convertases (PC)1 and PC2 are responsible for the processing of neuropeptide precursors directed to the regulated secretory pathway, we examined whether they are involved first in the proteolytic processing of prosomatostatin in mouse and human brain and secondly in somatostatin defect associated with Alzheimer's disease. By size exclusion chromatography, the cleavage of prosomatostatin to somatostatin-14 is almost totally abolished in the cortex of PC2 null mice, while the proportions of prosomatostatin and somatostatin-28 are increased. By immunohistochemistry, PC1 and PC2 were localized in many neuronal elements in human frontal and temporal cortex. The convertases levels were quantified by Western blot, as well as the protein 7B2 which is required for the production of active PC2. No significant change in PC1 levels was observed in Alzheimer's disease. In contrast, a marked decrease in the ratio of the PC2 precursor to the total enzymatic pool was observed in the frontal cortex of Alzheimer patients. This decrease coincides with an increase in the binding protein 7B2. However, the content and enzymatic activity of the PC2 mature form were similar in Alzheimer patients and controls. Therefore, the cortical somatostatin defect is not due to convertase alteration occuring during Alzheimer's disease. Further studies will be needed to assess the mechanisms involved in somatostatin deficiency in Alzheimer's disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Thyroid hormone regulation of prohormone convertase 1 (PC1): regional expression in rat brain and in vitro characterization of negative thyroid hormone response elements.

Most pro-neuropeptides are processed by the prohormone convertases, PC1 and PC2. We previously reported that changes in thyroid status altered anterior pituitary PC1 mRNA and this regulation was due to triiodothyronine (T(3))-dependent interaction of thyroid hormone receptor (TR) with negative thyroid hormone response elements (nTREs) contained in a large region of the human PC1 promoter. In this study, we demonstrated that hypothyroidism stimulated, while hyperthyroidism suppressed, PC1 mRNA levels in rat hypothalamus and cerebral cortex, but not in hippocampus. In situ hybridization was used to confirm real-time PCR changes and localize the regulation within the hypothalamus and cortex. Using a human PC1 (hPC1) promoter construct (with and without deletions in two regions that each contain a negative TRE) transiently transfected into GH3 cells, we found that T(3) negatively regulated hPC1 promoter activity, and this regulation required both of these two regions. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) using purified thyroid hormone receptor alpha1 (TRalpha1) and retinoid X receptor beta (RXRbeta) proteins demonstrated that RXR and TRalpha both bound the PC1 promoter. Addition of TRalpha1/RXRbeta to the wild-type PC1 probe demonstrated binding as both homodimers and a heterodimer. EMSAs with oligonucleotides containing deletion mutations of the putative nTREs demonstrated that the proximal nTRE binds more strongly to TR and RXR than the distal nTRE, but that both regions exhibit specific binding. We conclude that there are multiple novel TRE-like sequences in the hPC1 promoter and that these regions act in a unique manner to facilitate the negative effect of thyroid hormone on PC1.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Antral G-cell in gastrin and gastrin-cholecystokinin knockout animals.

The antral hormone gastrin is the key regulator of gastric acid secretion, mucosal growth and differentiation. Gastrin is synthesized in the endocrine G-cells in the antroduodenal mucosa. We have now examined the way in which the loss of gastrin alone or gastrin plus cholecystokinin (CCK) affects the antral G-cell. Immunohistochemistry, radioimmunoassay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques were employed to examine the expression of genes belonging to the G-cell secretory pathway in gastrin and gastrin-CCK knockout mice. Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the ultrastructure of the G-cells. The number of G-cells increased but the secretory granules were few and abnormally small in the G-cells of both mouse models compared with wildtypes. Thus, gastrin is not necessary for the formation of G-cells as such but the lack of gastrin reduces the number and size of their secretory granules suggesting that gastrin is vital for the formation and/or maintenance of secretory granules in G-cells.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Genetic and hereditary aspects of childhood obesity.

Genetic factors are involved in the regulation of body weight and in determining individual responses to environmental factors such as diet and exercise. The identification and characterization of monogenic obesity syndromes have led to an improved understanding of the precise nature of the inherited component of severe obesity and has had undoubted medical benefits, whilst helping to dispel the notion that obesity represents an individual defect in behaviour with no biological basis. For individuals at highest risk of the complications of severe obesity, such findings provide a starting point for providing more rational mechanism-based therapies, as has successfully been achieved for one disorder, congenital leptin deficiency.

Bardet-Biedl Syndrome↗

PubMed2005

Evidence for proprotein convertase activity in the endoplasmic reticulum/early Golgi.

Processing of precursor proteins by the proprotein convertases is thought to occur mainly in the trans-Golgi network or post-Golgi compartments. Such cleavage is inhibited by the prosegment of the convertases. During our studies of the use of the inhibitory prosegment of PC1, we noticed that a construct containing the prosegment fused to the C-terminal secretory granule sorting domain was cleaved in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) at a pair of basic residues, best recognized by furin and PC7. This was further confirmed when this construct was fused at the C-terminus with a KDEL ER-retention signal. This suggests that the convertases could cleave some substrates within the ER, possibly by displacing the inhibitory prosegment associated with them.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

RT-PCR analysis of the expression of POMC and its processing enzyme PC1 in amphibian melanotropes.

The frog intermediate lobe comprises two functionally distinct cell subtypes, referred to as secretory and storage melanotropes, which differ in their ultrastructure, secretory, and synthetic rates, and display dissimilar responses to hypothalamic regulatory factors. All these differences make melanotrope subtypes an excellent model to analyze the expression and regulation of genes involved in the control and maintenance of the secretory state of endocrine cells. However, quantification of the expression levels of genes involved in the secretory process requires the characterization of a gene whose expression remains constant irrespective of the secretory state of the cells. In this study, we have cloned the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene from frog pituitary and have evaluated its suitability as internal standard in gene expression studies in melanotropes. A semiquantitative RT-PCR system developed to this end revealed that secretory melanotropes and storage melanotropes possess similar expression levels of GAPDH, whereas, as expected, secretory melanotropes showed higher levels of POMC transcripts than storage cells. Furthermore, we found that the expression of the convertase PC1, an intracellular protease involved in POMC processing, parallels that of POMC, thus suggesting that the higher secretory rate of the POMC-derived peptide alpha-MSH exhibited by secretory melanotropes is supported by their higher PC1 expression levels. In addition, we have shown that both POMC and PC1 mRNAs are up-regulated by the hypothalamic factor TRH in melanotrope cell cultures. In contrast, the inhibitory factor NPY reduced the expression level of the convertase but did not modify that of POMC. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PC1 expression is regulated in melanotropes by both stimulatory (TRH) and inhibitory (NPY) hypothalamic signals, in a manner which essentially parallels that observed for the precursor POMC.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Proprotein convertase PC3 is not a transmembrane protein.

Proprotein convertase PC3 (also known as PC1) is an endopeptidase involved in proteolytic processing of peptide hormone precursors in granules of the regulated secretory pathway of endocrine cells. Lacking any extended hydrophobic segments, PC3 was considered to be a secretory protein only peripherally attached to the granule membrane. Recently, evidence has been presented that PC3 is a transmembrane protein with a 115-residue cytoplasmic domain and a membrane-spanning segment containing eight charged amino acids [Arnaoutova, I., et al. (2003) Biochemistry 42, 10445-10455]. Here, we analyzed the membrane topology of PC3 and of a PC3 construct containing a conventional transmembrane segment of 19 leucines. Alkaline extraction was performed to assess membrane integration. Exposure to the cytosol or to the ER lumen was tested by addition of C-terminal tags for phosphorylation or glycosylation, respectively. Protease sensitivity was assayed in permeabilized cells. The results show that the C-terminus of PC3 is translocated across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Furthermore, the proposed transmembrane segment of PC3 and a similar one of carboxypeptidase E did not stop polypeptide translocation when inserted into a stop-transfer tester construct. PC3 is thus not a transmembrane protein. These results have implications for the mechanism of granule sorting of PC3 as well as for the topology of PC2 and carboxypeptidase E, which have been reported to span the lipid membrane by homologous charged sequences.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Modulation of secretory granule-targeting efficiency by cis and trans compounding of sorting signals.

Several protein domains acting through seemingly different mechanisms have been reported to have the capacity to target proteins to dense core secretory granules. Because proteins enter secretory granules with different efficiencies and because some of these proteins contain more than one granule-targeting motif, we have investigated whether compounding sorting signals could alter the efficiency of protein entry into secretory granules. In the current study we demonstrate that a paired basic cleavage site from human prorenin and an alpha-helix-containing secretory granule-sorting signal from the prohormone convertase PC1/3 can synergize to increase granule-sorting efficiency not only when located on the same protein, but also when located on distinct proteins that associate in the secretory pathway.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Single amino acid substitution in the PC1/3 propeptide can induce significant modifications of its inhibitory profile toward its cognate enzyme.

The proprotein convertase PC1/3 is synthesized as a large precursor that undergoes proteolytic processing of the signal peptide, the propeptide and ultimately the COOH-terminal tail, to generate the mature form. The propeptide is essential for protease folding, and, although cleaved by an autocatalytic process, it remains associated with the mature form acting as an auto-inhibitor of PC1/3. To further assess the role of certain residues in its interaction with its cognate enzyme, we performed an alanine scan on two PC1/3 propeptide potential cleavable sites ((50)RRSRR(54) and (61)KR(62)) and an acidic region (65)DDD(67) conserved among species. Upon incubation with PC1/3, the ensuing peptides exhibit equal inhibitory potency, lower potency, or higher potency than the wild-type propeptide. The K(i) values calculated varied between 0.15 and 16.5 nm. All but one mutant exhibited a tight binding behavior. To examine the specificity of mutants, we studied their reactivity toward furin, a closely related convertase. The mutation of certain residues also affects the inhibition behavior toward furin yielding propeptides exhibiting K(i) ranging from 0.2 to 24 nm. Mutant propeptides exhibited against each enzyme either different mode of inhibition, enhanced selectivity in the order of 40-fold for one enzyme, or high potency with no discrimination. Hence, we demonstrate through single amino acid substitution that it is feasible to modify the inhibitory behavior of propeptides toward convertases in such a way as to increase or decrease their potency, modify their inhibitory mechanisms, as well as increase their selectivity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

On the processing of proghrelin to ghrelin.

The orexigenic hormone ghrelin is a 28-amino-acid peptide derived from a 99-amino-acid precursor and acylated at Ser-3, which was initially isolated from rat stomach. In addition to stimulating appetite and growth, it also plays various important roles in energy homeostasis and in the cardiovascular and immune systems. Although analysis of its physiological effects has yielded many significant results, much less information is available on its biosynthesis and the mechanism of its acylation. In this report, we have studied the endoproteolytic processing of this molecule from its precursor (proghrelin) into mature ghrelin in various prohormone convertase null mouse strains generated in our laboratory and have identified the convertase responsible for this event. Using Western blotting, mass spectrometry, and immunocytochemical methods, we have demonstrated that (a) in mouse stomach, prohormone convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) is the endoprotease responsible for the conversion of proghrelin to ghrelin, (b) the acylation of this peptide is processing-independent, and (c) the expression of proghrelin mRNA is increased in the processing-deficient (PC1/3 null) mouse.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Past, present and future strategies to study the genetics of body weight regulation.

Genetic advances have made remarkable progress towards our understanding of body weight regulation. Much of our current knowledge has come from the cloning and characterisation of the genes responsible for obesity syndromes in the mouse, and the identification of homologous mutations causing rare forms of obesity in humans. Gene targeting experiments in mice have been instrumental in confirming the importance of many genes in the aetiology of obesity, and the existence of a fundamental physiological pathway that controls energy balance is becoming clear. The genetic determinants that underlie common forms of human obesity are largely polygenic, with most genes producing small effects. Thus, elucidating the many genetic determinants of obesity is a current challenge for modern geneticists. Despite the inherent difficulties, progress has been made through linkage/association studies and a genetic map of quantitative trait loci for human obesity is beginning to emerge. Obesity research is now very much in a transition period. Not so long ago, access to high throughput screening, as well as microarray and proteomic techniques, was prohibitively expensive and available only to the few. In recent years, these technologies have become more accessible to the larger scientific community and, in this paper, we will discuss how such technological advances are likely to drive the next wave of progress in obesity research. For example, large-scale mutagenesis screens in rodents coupled with high throughput screening are likely to emerge as important technologies for identifying genes previously unexpected to be involved in body weight regulation. Furthermore, applications of microarray and proteomic techniques will further refine our understanding of currently known peptides as well as identify novel pathways and molecules which are involved in energy homeostasis.

Agouti Signaling Protein↗