title: Role of prohormone convertases in pro-neuropeptide Y processing: coexpression and in vitro kinetic investigations.
abstract: Proneuropeptide Y (ProNPY) undergoes cleavage at a single dibasic site Lys38-Arg39 resulting in the formation of 1-39 amino acid NPY which is further processed successively by carboxypeptidase-like and peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase enzymes. To investigate whether prohormone convertases are involved in ProNPY processing, a vaccinia virus derived expression system was used to coexpress recombinant ProNPY with each of the prohormone convertases PC1/3, PC2, furin, and PACE4 in Neuro2A and NIH 3T3 cell lines as regulated neuroendocrine and constitutive prototype cell lines, respectively. The analysis of processed products shows that only PC1/3 generates NPY in NIH 3T3 cells while both PC1/3 and PC2 are able to generate NPY in Neuro2A cells. The convertases furin and PACE4 are unable to process ProNPY in either cell line. Moreover, comparative in vitro cleavage of recombinant NPY precursor by the enzymes PC1/3, PC2 and furin shows that only PC1/3 and PC2 are involved in specific cleavage of the dibasic site. Kinetic studies demonstrate that PC1/3 cleaves ProNPY more efficiently than PC2. The main difference between the cleavage efficiency is observed in the Vmax values whereas no major difference is observed in Km values. In addition the cleavage by PC1/3 and PC2 of two peptides reproducing the dibasic cleavage site with different amino acid sequence lengths namely (20-49)-ProNPY and (28-43)-ProNPY was studied. These shortened ProNPY substrates, when recognized by the enzymes, are more efficiently cleaved than ProNPY itself. The shortest peptide is not cleaved by PC2 while it is by PC1/3. On the basis of these observations it is proposed, first, that the constitutive secreted NPY does not result from the cleavage carried out by ubiquitously expressed enzymes furin and PACE4; second, that PC1/3 and PC2 are not equipotent in the cleavage of ProNPY; and third, substrate peptide length might discriminate PC1/3 and PC2 processing activity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hypertension, University Hospital, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brakch
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rist
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Beck-Sickinger
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goenaga
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wittek
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bürger
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grouzmann
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D045683:Furin; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D007700:Kinetics; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D045664:Proprotein Convertase 1; D045706:Proprotein Convertase 2; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013381:Subtilisins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C081158:proneuropeptide Y; C513086:Pcsk6 protein, mouse; C513087:Pcsk6 protein, rat; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D013381:Subtilisins; D045683:Furin; C473656:Pcsk1 protein, mouse; D045664:Proprotein Convertase 1; D045706:Proprotein Convertase 2; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases