Current status on chromogranin A and pancreastatin.
The authors review the biochemical and biological properties of chromogranins and pancreastatin. Chromogranins A, B and C are acidic proteins of a molecular mass of 48,000, 76,000 and 67,000, respectively, located in the secretory granules of the neuroendocrine cells. Since large amounts of chromogranin A were found in most neuroendocrine tumours, chromogranin A plasma determination is a diagnostic tool even in silent tumours. Pancreastatin is a peptide derived from chromogranin A, which inhibits insulin secretion, exocrine pancreatic secretion and gastric acid secretion, and which stimulates glucagon secretion. Pancreastatin has different molecular forms, the major form being a high molecular form of 92 amino acids, found by the authors in human stomach- and colon extracts and in a liver metastasis of a gastrinoma. The controlled proteolysis of chromogranin A in gut neuroendocrine cells generates predominantly the high molecular weight form.
Robberecht
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P
Laboratoire de Chimie Biologique et de la Nutrition, Faculté de Médecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgique.
Lingier
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P
Woussen-Colle
M C
MC
D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010187:Pancreatic Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology
C506150:CHGA protein, human; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins; D010187:Pancreatic Hormones; C071102:pancreastatin-52