Effect of neurophysin on enzymatic maturation of oxytocin from its precursor

Cortisol stimulates arginine vasotocin and isotocin release from the hypothalamo-pituitary complex of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus): Probable mechanisms of action

There were two aims of this in vitro perfusion study. Firstly, to determine which class of receptors, glucocorticoid (GRs) or mineralocorticoid (MRs), are involved in cortisol regulation of arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT) release from the hypothalamo-pituitary (H-P) complex of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). Secondly, to determine which pathways, genomic or non-genomic, are involved in the aformentioned process.The H-P explants were perfused with cortisol (1.4 × 10(-) (7)  M, 2.8 × 10(-7) M, 0.4 × 10(-6) M); only the highest dose significantly increased a release of both nonapeptides. In the perfusion of H-P explants, we used cortisol (0.4 × 10(-6) M) in combination with GRs antagonist RU486 (0.3 × 10(-6)  M) or MRs antagonist C03DA01 (0.36 × 10(-6)  M) or transcription inhibitor Actinomycin D (1 × 10(-7)  M). All inhibitors were also tested seperately. The contents of AVT and IT in the perfusion media was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. This study suggested that different mechanisms were involved in the regulation of AVT and IT release from H-P complex in round goby. Apparently it was GRs but not MRs that were involved in cortisol regulation of AVT and IT release. In the case of AVT, our data points to both genomic and non-genomic pathways mediating the effect of cortisol; in the case of IT, it is only the non-genomic pathway. This study presents the first feasible mechanisms of cortisol action on AVT and IT release from the H-P complex in round goby.

Endopeptidases and prohormone processing

Peptide hormones and peptide transmitters are generated from polypeptide precursors by specific cleavage reactions which take place principally at sites formed by single or paired basic residues. Not all the possible cleavage sites are utilised, however, and the degree of processing of many propeptides has been found to vary according to the tissue of origin. The restricted nature of processing reactions could point to the existence of a series of enzymes with stringent specificities, recognising regions of structure in addition to the single or paired basic residues. Alternatively the action of processing enzymes may be directed by conformation of the pro-peptide which could focus the action of a protease onto or away from a particular site. In addition certain post-translational modifications such as glycosylation or phosphorylation may influence the accessibility of a site to the approach of a processing enzyme. In this review we describe recent advances that have been made in the characteristization of proteolytic processing enzymes, we examine the relevance of the various factors that could account for restricted processing and discuss new approaches that may lead to better understanding of the mechanisms involved.

Sequence simplification and the intra- and intermolecular self-recognition properties of vasopressin/neurophysin biosynthetic precursor

The self-assembly properties of the arginine 8-vasopressin/bovine neurophysin II (AVP/BNPII) biosynthetic precursor were studied using glycopeptide-deleted and sequence-redesigned semisynthetic derivatives. Semisynthetic precursors were prepared by chemically coupling synthetic vasopressinyl sequence domains and native protein-derived neurophysin II domain. Measurement of precursor-protein association by the extent of affinity chromatographic retardation on agarose-immobilized BNPII verified that the semisynthetic precursor with native AVP sequence has an enhanced self-association propensity similar to that predicted for native precursor. Here, the stabilizing contacts between hormone and neurophysin domains, mainly the positively charged protonated alpha-amino group and tyrosyl 2 side chain of the hormone, are retained. Semisynthetic precursor variants in which the hormone domain is sequence-simplified by introducing alanyl residues in positions not considered important for neurophysin recognition show non-reduced association to BNPII. In contrast, removal of one of the main contact elements between hormone and neurophysin by acetylation of the hormone alpha-amino group abolishes potentiation of precursor self-association. The results show that the presence of the C-terminal glycopeptide sequence domain of native vasopressin precursor is not required to promote self-assembly of the precursor. The data verify the view proposed for the oxytocinyl precursor that intramolecular domain interaction is the triggering event which promotes the increase in affinity of precursor self-association (intermolecular self-recognition). The data also define some of the intramolecular self-recognition elements in the folded precursor required for the high affinity intermolecular self-recognition.

Processing of the oxytocin precursor: isolation of an exopeptidase from neurosecretory granules of bovine pituitaries

The bovine pro-oxytocin precursor consists of the nonapeptide hormone and its neurophysin carrier protein that contains at its C-terminus a rudimentary processing signal, the single basic amino acid residue histidine. An exopeptidase has been isolated from neurosecretory granules of the bovine posterior pituitary that releases the supernumary histidine residue from the pro-hormone precursor. Based on its sensitivity to inhibitors and activators the enzyme has carboxypeptidase B-like properties with a pH optimum between 5.0 and 5.5.