title: Tissue specific expression of rat peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase activity and mRNA.
abstract: The tissue specific expression of peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase [(PAM) EC 1.14.17.3], an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amidated bioactive peptides from their glycine-extended precursors, was examined in adult rat. Soluble and membrane-associated PAM enzymatic activities were determined, and the levels and size classes of PAM mRNA were examined by Northern blot analysis. PAM specific activity varied 1000-fold in the tissues examined, with highest levels in heart atrium, pituitary and salivary glands, and hypothalamus. The fraction of total PAM activity that was membrane associated varied from approximately 70% in heart atrium to 10% in neurointermediate pituitary lobe and thyroid gland. Levels of PAM mRNA varied over 300-fold. In the heart atrium, PAM mRNA accounts for more than 0.1% of the mRNA. For many tissues the ratio of total PAM specific activity to PAM mRNA levels was similar; however, PAM activity was higher than expected from mRNA levels in the salivary glands and lower than expected in several tissues, including heart ventricle. Three major size classes of PAM mRNA were identified among the tissues. Use of RNAse H indicated that differences in size were not due to the length of the poly(A) tail. The heart and central nervous system expressed PAM mRNA of the 4.2 kilobase (kb) and 3.8 kb size classes, while the remaining tissues expressed predominantly 3.8 kb and 3.6 kb classes; few tissues contained only one size class of PAM mRNA. The two major forms of PAM mRNA in adult heart atrium differ by the presence or absence of a 315 nucleotide segment in the protein coding region. Using a cDNA probe from within this segment, the 4.2 kb and 3.8 kb size classes of PAM mRNA in the central nervous system appeared to resemble those in the heart atrium. In the remaining tissues, a subset of PAM mRNAs in the 3.8 kb and 3.6 kb size classes hybridized with this probe, suggesting that additional forms of PAM mRNA are present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Braas
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Stoffers
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Eipper
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: May
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000201:enzymology; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000201:enzymology; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D009132:Muscles / Q000201:enzymology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000201:enzymology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors / Q000378:metabolism*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000201:enzymology; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000201:enzymology; D013361:Sublingual Gland / Q000201:enzymology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000201:enzymology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; C035189:peptidylglycine monooxygenase; D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors