title: Interaction of Drosophila melanogaster prohormone convertase 2 and 7B2. Insect cell-specific processing and secretion.
abstract: The prohormone convertases (PCs) are an evolutionarily ancient group of proteases required for the maturation of neuropeptide and peptide hormone precursors. In Drosophila melanogaster, the homolog of prohormone convertase 2, dPC2 (amontillado), is required for normal hatching behavior, and immunoblotting data indicate that flies express 80- and 75-kDa forms of this protein. Because mouse PC2 (mPC2) requires 7B2, a helper protein for productive maturation, we searched the fly data base for the 7B2 signature motif PPNPCP and identified an expressed sequence tag clone encoding the entire open reading frame for this protein. dPC2 and d7B2 cDNAs were subcloned into expression vectors for transfection into HEK-293 cells; mPC2 and rat 7B2 were used as controls. Although active mPC2 was detected in medium in the presence of either d7B2 or r7B2, dPC2 showed no proteolytic activity upon coexpression of either d7B2 or r7B2. Labeling experiments showed that dPC2 was synthesized but not secreted from HEK-293 cells. However, when dPC2 and either d7B2 or r7B2 were coexpressed in Drosophila S2 cells, abundant immunoreactive dPC2 was secreted into the medium, coincident with the appearance of PC2 activity. Expression and secretion of dPC2 enzyme activity thus appears to require insect cell-specific posttranslational processing events. The significant differences in the cell biology of the insect and mammalian enzymes, with 7B2 absolutely required for secretion of dPC2 and zymogen conversion occurring intracellularly in the case of dPC2 but not mPC2, support the idea that the Drosophila enzyme has specific requirements for maturation and secretion that can be met only in insect cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Siekhaus
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Taghert
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lindberg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051859:Neuroendocrine Secretory Protein 7B2; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045706:Proprotein Convertase 2; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013381:Subtilisins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D051859:Neuroendocrine Secretory Protein 7B2; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C497678:SCG5 protein, human; C497680:Scg5 protein, rat; D013381:Subtilisins; C473668:Pcsk2 protein, mouse; D045706:Proprotein Convertase 2