title: An endothelin-converting enzyme homologue in the locust, Locusta migratoria: functional activity, molecular cloning and tissue distribution.
abstract: Endothelin-converting enzyme is the key enzyme in the process of endothelin production. Endothelin is a peptide that plays an important role in vasoconstriction and the development of neural crest-derived cells in vertebrates. Activity assays performed on membrane extracts from Locusta migratoria brain revealed the existence of a protease activity responsible for the formation of mature endothelin-1 from its precursor, big endothelin. Cloning experiments led to a cDNA sequence (Lom ECE) with an open reading frame of 727 amino acid residues displaying all the characteristic ECE features. A comparison of ECE activity levels among different tissues of the locust showed a high enzyme activity in the gonads and midgut. RT-PCR experiments showed a wide tissue distribution of Lom ECE mRNA, with transcription being most abundant in brain tissue.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Developmental Physiology and Molecular Biology, Zoological Institute, KULeuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Nathalie.Macours@bio.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Macours
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poels
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hens
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Loof
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huybrechts
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes; D016232:Endothelins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics; D006110:Grasshoppers / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes