title: Tissue-specific posttranslational processing of pre-prosomatostatin encoded by a metallothionein-somatostatin fusion gene in transgenic mice.
abstract: The somatostatins are neuropeptides of 14 and 28 amino acids that inhibit the release of growth hormone and other hypophyseal and gastrointestinal peptides. These neuropeptides are cleaved posttranslationally from a common precursor, pre-prosomatostatin. We report here the production and processing of pre-prosomatostatin by transgenic mice carrying a metallothionein-somatostatin fusion gene. The most active site of somatostatin production, as determined by hormone concentrations in the tissues, is the anterior pituitary, a tissue that does not normally synthesize somatostatin-like peptides. Anterior pituitary processed pre-prosomatostatin almost exclusively to the two biologically active peptides, somatostatin-14 and somatostatin-28, whereas the liver and kidney synthesized much smaller quantities of predominantly a 6000 dalton somatostatin-like peptide. The growth of the transgenic mice was normal despite high plasma levels of the somatostatin-like peptides. These studies indicate that proteases which cleave prosomatostatin to somatostatin-28 and somatostatin-14 are not specific to tissues that normally express somatostatin.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Habener
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Palmiter
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Brinster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000378:metabolism; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D011498:Protein Precursors; D013004:Somatostatin; D008668:Metallothionein