title: Evidence for in vivo production of Humanin peptide, a neuroprotective factor against Alzheimer's disease-related insults.
abstract: An unbiased functional screening with brain cDNA library from an Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain identified a novel 24-residue peptide Humanin (HN), which suppresses AD-related neurotoxicity. As the 1567-base cDNA containing the open reading frame (ORF) of HN is 99% identical to mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA as well as registered human mRNA, it was elusive whether HN is produced in vivo. Here, we raised anti-HN antibody and found that long cDNAs containing the ORF of HN (HN-ORF) produced the HN peptide in mammalian cells, dependent on the presence of full-length HN-ORF. Immunoblot analysis detected a 3-kDa protein with HN immunoreactivity in the testis and the colon in 3-week-old mice and in the testis in 12-week-old mice. HN immunoreactivity was also detected in an AD brain, but little in normal brains. This study suggests that HN peptide could be produced in vivo, and would provide a novel insight into the pathophysiology of AD.
authors: Department of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, KEIO University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
authors: Hirohisa
authors: H
authors: Tajima
authors: Takako
authors: T
authors: Niikura
authors: Yuichi
authors: Y
authors: Hashimoto
authors: Yuko
authors: Y
authors: Ito
authors: Yoshiko
authors: Y
authors: Kita
authors: Kenzo
authors: K
authors: Terashita
authors: Kazuto
authors: K
authors: Yamazaki
authors: Atsuo
authors: A
authors: Koto
authors: Sadakazu
authors: S
authors: Aiso
authors: Ikuo
authors: I
authors: Nishimoto
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D011506:Proteins; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; C427211:humanin