title: Processing of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) precursor proteins by prohormone convertases (PCs) and its implications.
abstract: Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptides are expressed in several neuroendocrine tissues, including hypothalamus, pituitary, gut, adrenal and pancreas, and are involved in regulating important biological processes including feeding/appetite, drug reward and stress. CART is synthesized as larger, inactive peptide precursors (pro-CART) that require endoproteolytic processing to generate smaller, active forms. Prohormone/proprotein convertases (PCs), a family of calcium-dependent, serine endoproteases, have been shown to cleave many protein precursors in the regulated/constitutive secretory pathway to generate smaller fragments. In our previous studies, we have demonstrated the important roles of the two neuroendocrine-specific PCs, PC2 and PC1/3, in processing the two pro-CART isoforms, long (102aa) and short (89aa), to generate the bioactive CART peptides, I (55-102/42-89) and II (62-102/49-89) as well as the intermediate fragments, 10-89 and 33-102. Our subsequent studies have revealed the participation of another PC family member, PC5/6A (the soluble isoform of a widely expressed PC, PC5/6), in cleaving both precursor isoforms. We conclude that PC5/6A contributes to the normal efficient processing of pro-CART and is functionally more redundant with PC2 than PC1/3 in generating both CART I and II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Donald F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Arunangsu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D043484:Proprotein Convertases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011498:Protein Precursors; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein; D043484:Proprotein Convertases