Partial characterization of the mRNA that codes for enkephalins in bovine adrenal medulla and human pheochromocytoma.
[Met]enkephalin and [Leu]enkephalin are derived from a protein in bovine adrenal medulla that contains multiple copies of [Met]enkephalin [Kilpatrick, D. L., Taniguchi, T., Jones, B. N., Stern, A. S., Shively, J. E., Hullihan, J., Kimura, S., Stein, S. & Udenfriend, S. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 3265--3268.] Here we characterize pro-enkephalin mRNA from bovine and human tissue by use of an oligodeoxynucleotide pentadecamer probe complementary to codons for Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met ([Met]enkephalin). This probe hybridizes specifically to a species of poly(A)-RNA from adrenal medulla and human pheochromocytoma, (1400--1450 bases), and also to [Met]enkephalin-containing pro-opiomelanocortin mRNAs from bovine pituitary (1200 bases) and from mouse pituitary tumor cell (1100 bases). A cloned cDNA probe (144 bases) complementary to the region of pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA that codes for lipotropin does not hybridize to the RNA from bovine adrenal medulla, demonstrating that the latter RNA is not pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA. The pentadecamer probe was extended to make cDNA with reverse transcriptase after hybridizing it to adrenal poly(A)-RNA. The sequence of an extended cDNA, 62 bases in length, was found to correspond exactly to that expected from the amino acid sequence of peptide E (a bovine adrenal peptide containing [Met]- and [Leu]enkephalin sequences). This cDNA also forms a specific hybrid with the RNA from bovine adrenal and human pheochromocytoma, confirming that these species of RNA are pro-enkephalin mRNA.
D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D003062:Codon; D004723:Endorphins / Q000235:genetics*; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*
D003062:Codon; D004723:Endorphins; D004745:Enkephalins; D012333:RNA, Messenger