Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Prohormone substrates are required for investigation of the proteolytic processing of prohormones and proproteins into active peptide hormones and neurotransmitters. However, the lack of prohormone proteins has been a limiting factor in elucidating proteolytic mechanisms for conversion of prohormones into active peptides. Therefore, in this study, cloned cDNAs encoding the prohormones proenkephalin (PE), pro-neuropeptide Y (pro-NPY), pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), and beta-protachykinin (beta-PT) were utilized to express recombinant prohormones in Escherichia coli. High-level expression of milligrams of prohormones was achieved with the pET3c expression vector utilizing the T7 promoter for production of PE, pro-NPY, and POMC, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis, Western blots, and 35S-methionine labeling. In addition, beta-PT was expressed at high levels as fusion proteins with the maltose-binding protein and glutathione S-transferase by the pMAL-c and pGEX-2T expression vectors, respectively. Relative rates of processing by the established processing proteases "prohormone thiol protease" (PTP), 70-kDa aspartyl protease, and PC1/ 3 and PC2 (PC, prohormone convertase) were examined with purified PE, pro-NPY, and POMC. Distinct preferences of processing enzymes for different prohormones was demonstrated. PTP preferred PE and pro-NPY substrates, whereas little processing of POMC was detected. In contrast, the 70-kDa aspartyl protease cleaved POMC more readily than pro-NPY or PE. However, PC1/3 and PC2 prefer POMC as substrate. Demonstration of selectivity of processing enzymes for prohormone substrates illustrates the importance of expressing recombinant prohormones for in vitro processing studies.
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PMID:High-level expression of the prohormones proenkephalin, pro-neuropeptide Y, proopiomelanocortin, and beta-protachykinin for in vitro prohormone processing. 917 94

We have recently established that local exposure to a 929.2 MHz electromagnetic near-field, used for cellular phones, does not promote rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term bioassay system. In the present study, a 1.439 GHz electromagnetic near-field (EMF), another microwave band employed for cellular phones in Japan, was similarly investigated. Time division multiple access (TDMA) signals for the Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) Japanese cellular telephone standard system were directed to rats through a quarter-wavelength monopole antenna. Numerical dosimetry showed that the peak SARs within the liver were 1.91-0.937 W/kg, while the whole-body average specific absorption rates (SARs) were 0.680-0.453 W/kg, when the time-averaged antenna radiation power was 0.33 W. Exposure was for 90 min a day, 5 days a week, over 6 weeks, to male F344 rats given a single dose of diethylnitrosamine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) 2 weeks previously. At week 3, all rats were subjected to a two-thirds partial hepatectomy. At week 8, the experiment was terminated and the animals were killed. Carcinogenic potential was scored by comparing the numbers and areas of the induced glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive foci in the livers of exposed (48) and sham-exposed rats (48). Despite increased serum levels of corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and melatonin, the numbers and the areas of GST-P-positive foci were not significantly altered by the exposure. These findings clearly indicated that local body exposure to a 1.439 GHz EMF, as in the case of a 929.2 MHz field, has no promoting effect on rat liver carcinogenesis in the present model.
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PMID:The 1.5 GHz electromagnetic near-field used for cellular phones does not promote rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term liver bioassay. 984 76

We have previously reported that exposures of F344 male rats to both 900 MHz and 1.5 GHz electro-magnetic near fields (EMFs) results in slightly decreased numbers and areas of glutathione S-transferase (GST-P)-positive liver foci, liver preneoplastic lesions in rats, in a medium-term liver bioassay (K. Imaida, M. Taki, T. Yamaguchi, T. Ito, S. Watanabe, K. Wake, A. Aimoto, Y. Kamimura, N. Ito, T. Shirai, Lack of promoting effects of the electromagnetic near-field used for cellular phones (929.2 MHz) on rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term liver bioassay, Carcinogenesis 19 (1998) 311-314; K. Imaida, M. Taki, S. Watanabe, Y. Kamimura, T. Ito, T. Yamaguchi, N. Ito, T. Shirai, The 1.5 GHz electromagnetic near-field used for cellular phones does not promote rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term liver bioassay, Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 89 (1998) 995-1002.). In both experiments, the melatonin serum levels were significantly decreased in both 900 MHz and 1.5 GHz exposed groups as compared with sham-exposed control group values. Therefore, changes of serum melatonin levels may modify the development of preneoplastic lesions in the livers of rats exposed by EMF. In order to clarify this question, the effects of different doses of melatonin (1, 5, 10 and 20 ppm in the drinking water) were analyzed in the same bioassay system employed for our previously reported EMF exposure studies. Six-week-old male F344 rats were given a single dose of diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 200 mg/kg b.w., i.p.). Starting 2 weeks later, they were treated with 0, 1, 5, 10 and 20 ppm melatonin in their drinking water for 6 weeks. Melatonin treatment were performed only during the night (between 18:00 to 09:00) in order to maintain their circadian rhythm, since serum melatonin levels are high at midnight. At week 3, all rats were subjected to a two-thirds partial hepatectomy. At week 8, the experiment was terminated and the animals were sacrificed. Serum hormone levels of melatonin, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone at this time point were measured, only the first being elevated, while LH and testosterone were reduced. Although clear dose dependence was not apparent, both numbers and areas of GST-P-positive foci in the liver were decreased in the melatonin treated groups, this being significant for numbers in the 10 ppm melatonin group. Comparison of the current results with the previously reported findings for EMF exposure experiments, suggests that increase in melatonin serum levels is a possible reason for the associated tendency for decreased preneoplastic hepatocyte foci development.
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PMID:Inhibitory effects of low doses of melatonin on induction of preneoplastic liver lesions in a medium-term liver bioassay in F344 rats: relation to the influence of electromagnetic near field exposure. 1081 86