title: Substrate specificity of the gastrin-amidating enzyme.
abstract: As is the case with many other peptide hormones of the brain and gut, gastrin requires a carboxyl-terminal amide moiety for optimal biological activity. In the structure of progastrin, the carboxyl-terminal Phe of gastrin is followed by the sequence Gly93-Arg94-Arg95, which must be processed sequentially by an endoprotease, a carboxypeptidase, and an amidating enzyme to produce amidated bioactive gastrin. To examine the molecular determinants of peptide amidation in vivo, we mutated the wild-type Gly93 residue of progastrin to Ala93 and Ser93 and expressed the three progastrin DNAs in GH3 and MTC 6-23 endocrine cell lines. Although substantial quantities of amidated gastrin were seen in cells expressing wild-type progastrin, replacement of Gly93 with Ala93 completely abolished production of amidated gastrin when the cells were incubated in standard medium containing only L-alanine. In a similar fashion, cells expressing [Ser93]progastrin also demonstrated no production of amidated gastrin. When cells expressing [Ala93]- or [Ser93]progastrin were incubated in the presence of 1 mg/ml D-alanine or D-serine, respectively, a small but consistent amount of amidated gastrin production was detected (< 1% of wild type). These data lead us to conclude that the amidating enzyme has a rigid substrate specificity for a glycine-extended precursor. Furthermore, this in vivo substrate specificity confirms the importance of the pro-S-alpha-hydrogen of the carboxyl-terminal glycine for enzyme-substrate recognition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0800.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daugherty
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stadler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finniss
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA; D005755:Gastrins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D009154:Mutation; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D051381:Rats; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D005755:Gastrins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D011498:Protein Precursors; C013706:big gastrin; D004247:DNA; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; C035189:peptidylglycine monooxygenase