title: Altered processing of the neurotensin/neuromedin N precursor in PC2 knock down mice: a biochemical and immunohistochemical study.
abstract: Neurotensin (NT) and neuromedin N (NN) are generated by endoproteolytic cleavage of a common precursor molecule, pro-NT/NN. To gain insight into the role of prohormone convertases PC1, PC2, and PC7 in this process, we investigated the maturation of pro-NT/NN in the brain of PC7 (PC7-/-), PC2 (PC2-/-), and/or PC1 (PC1+/- and PC2-/-; PC1+/-) knock down mice. Inactivation of the PC7 gene was without effect, suggesting that this convertase is not involved in the processing of pro-NT/NN. By contrast, there was a 15% decrease in NT and a 50% decrease in NN levels, as measured by radioimmunoassay, in whole brain extracts from PC2 null as compared with wild type mice. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that this decrease in pro-NT/NN maturation products was uneven and that it was most pronounced in the medial preoptic area, lateral hypothalamus, and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei. These results suggest that PC2 plays a critical role in the processing of pro-NT/NN in mouse brain and that its deficiency may be compensated to a regionally variable extent by other convertases. Previous data have suggested that PC1 might be subserving this role. However, there was no change in the maturation of pro-NT/NN in the brain of mice in which the PC1 gene had been partially inactivated, implying that complete PC1 knock down may be required for loss of function.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009496:Neurotensin / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D045664:Proprotein Convertase 1; D045706:Proprotein Convertase 2; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013381:Subtilisins / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011498:Protein Precursors; C052457:neuromedin N precursor; C042090:neuromedin N; D009496:Neurotensin; C490930:Pcsk7 protein, mouse; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D013381:Subtilisins; C473656:Pcsk1 protein, mouse; D045664:Proprotein Convertase 1; D045706:Proprotein Convertase 2; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases