title: The gene encoding proopiomelanocortin in the dog.
abstract: The regulation of the synthesis of ACTH in the dog is of interest for studies of the physiology of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis as well as for studies of the pathogenesis of pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. Despite this broad interest the nucleotide sequence encoding ACTH and its precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is not known, nor is it clear whether there are differences in POMC mRNA from the anterior lobe or the intermediate lobe of the normal pituitary or from pituitary tumours causing ACTH excess. Following the preparation of a cDNA library from the canine intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland, the part of the mRNA that is translated into the proopiomelanocortin prohormone was amplified using a polymerase chain reaction. Sequence analysis revealed the highest homology with the porcine mRNA sequence. Translation in a single reading frame revealed highly homologous areas in the amino-terminal, carboxy-terminal, and ACTH part of the prohormone, whereas a high diversity was noticed at the sequence preceding ACTH and the beginning of beta-lipotropin. Northern blot analysis disclosed the presence of a POMC mRNA of approximately 1300 nucleotides. There were no size differences between the anterior lobe, intermediate lobe, and pituitary tumour derived POMC mRNA. The highest expression levels of POMC mRNA as related to the expression of the gene encoding glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were found in the intermediate lobe of the canine pituitary gland. It is concluded that excessive production of ACTH by pituitary tumours is not caused by relatively high expression levels or alterations in the size of mRNA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mol
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: van Mansfeld
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kwant
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Wolferen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rothuizen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D004285:Dogs / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000737:chemistry; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D004247:DNA