title: Human thyrotropin-releasing hormone-associated peptide 3 (hTAP-3) in serum.
abstract: Human thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-associated peptide 3 (hTAP-3), one of the cryptic peptides resulting from the proteolytic processing of preproTRH to produce TRH, was measured in human plasma from normal, hyperthyroid, and hypothyroid subjects. The dilution curve of hTAP-3 immunoreactivity in the serum paralleled the standard curve of the radioimmunoassay. HPLC analysis revealed a single strong immunoreactive peak, which corresponded to the authentic peptide, hTAP-3. The half-life of hTAP-3 in serum was approximately 3.5 min, and the addition of aprotinin and EDTA completely prevented its degradation. In hyperthyroid patients, plasma concentrations of hTAP-3 were significantly higher than those in the control group and hypothyroid patients, but no correlation was found between its level and that of thyroid hormone. These findings indicate the existence of intact hTAP-3 in the human serum and increases in plasma hTAP-3 levels in hyperthyroid patients, suggesting that blood hTAP-3 may be derived from the peripheral organs rather than the hypothalamus.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Monden
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D007611:Aprotinin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000097:blood*; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011498:Protein Precursors; C405036:thyrotropin-releasing hormone-associated peptide 3, human; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007611:Aprotinin; D004492:Edetic Acid