Kallikrein gene expression in the rat anterior pituitary.
The report of 'kallikrein-like' activity in the rat neuro-intermediate lobe (N-IL) and its possible involvement in pro-opiomelanocortin processing led us to explore the expression of the kallikrein gene(s) in the pituitary. Using 32P-labelled rat pancreatic kallikrein cDNA, we have shown positive hybridization for rat anterior pituitary poly(A)+ RNA, of identical size on Northern blots (approximately 1.0 kb) to rat kidney poly(A)+ RNA run in parallel. Prior adrenalectomy or ovariectomy decreased the level of kallikrein mRNA seen in the anterior pituitary; total RNA from rat N-IL showed no significant hybridization. On hybridization histochemistry the anterior pituitary was strongly positive, and the neural and intermediate lobes negative. The previously reported kallikrein-like activity in the N-IL is therefore probably due to a non-kallikrein kininogenase; in the anterior pituitary, kallikrein may have a physiological role in limited precursor proteolysis, but lack kininogen activity.
D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004247:DNA; D007610:Kallikreins