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The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is, in essence, the transportation system of the eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. It is a type of organelle made up of two subunits – rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). The endoplasmic reticulum is found in most eukaryotic cells and forms an interconnected network of flattened, membrane-enclosed sacs known as cisternae, and tubular structures in the SER. The membranes of the ER are continuous with the outer nuclear membrane. The endoplasmic reticulum is not found in red blood cells, or spermatozoa.
Adrenocorticotropic hormone is a polypeptide tropic hormone produced by and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. It is also used as a medication and diagnostic agent. ACTH is an important component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and is often produced in response to biological stress. Its principal effects are increased production and release of cortisol and androgens by the cortex and medulla of the adrenal gland, respectively. ACTH is also related to the circadian rhythm in many organisms.
Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) is a precursor polypeptide with 241 amino acid residues. POMC is synthesized in corticotrophs of the anterior pituitary from the 267-amino-acid-long polypeptide precursor pre-pro-opiomelanocortin (pre-POMC), by the removal of a 26-amino-acid-long signal peptide sequence during translation. POMC is part of the central melanocortin system.
Peptide hormones are hormones whose molecules are peptides. Peptide hormones have shorter amino acid chain lengths than protein hormones. These hormones have an effect on the endocrine system of animals, including humans. Most hormones can be classified as either amino acid–based hormones or steroid hormones. The former are water-soluble and act on the surface of target cells via second messengers; the latter, being lipid-soluble, move through the plasma membranes of target cells to act within their nuclei.
Proinsulin is the prohormone precursor to insulin made in the beta cells of the Pancreatic Islets, specialized regions of the pancreas. In humans, proinsulin is encoded by the INS gene. The pancreatic islets only secrete between 1% and 3% of proinsulin intact. However, because proinsulin has a longer half life than insulin, it can account for anywhere from 5–30% of the insulin-like structures circulating in the blood. There are higher concentrations of proinsulin after meals and lower levels when a person is fasting. Additionally, while proinsulin and insulin have structural differences, proinsulin does demonstrate some affinity for the insulin receptor. Due to the relative similarities in structure, proinsulin can produce between 5% and 10% of the metabolic activity similarly induced by insulin.
Corticotropes are basophilic cells in the anterior pituitary that produce pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) which undergoes cleavage to adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), β-lipotropin (β-LPH), and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH). These cells are stimulated by corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and make up 15–20% of the cells in the anterior pituitary. The release of ACTH from the corticotropic cells is controlled by CRH, which is formed in the cell bodies of parvocellular neurosecretory cells within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and passes to the corticotropes in the anterior pituitary via the hypophyseal portal system. Adrenocorticotropin hormone stimulates the adrenal cortex to release glucocorticoids and plays an important role in the stress response.
The vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) is a transport protein integrated into the membranes of synaptic vesicles of presynaptic neurons. It transports monoamine neurotransmitters – such as dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and histamine – into the vesicles, which release the neurotransmitters into synapses as chemical messages to postsynaptic neurons. VMATs utilize a proton gradient generated by V-ATPases in vesicle membranes to power monoamine import.
Proprotein convertase 1, also known as prohormone convertase, prohormone convertase 3, or neuroendocrine convertase 1 and often abbreviated as PC1/3 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PCSK1 gene. PCSK1 and PCSK2 differentially cleave proopiomelanocortin and they act together to process proinsulin and proglucagon in pancreatic islets.
Proprotein convertases (PPCs) are a family of proteins that activate other proteins. Many proteins are inactive when they are first synthesized, because they contain chains of amino acids that block their activity. Proprotein convertases remove those chains and activate the protein. The prototypical proprotein convertase is furin. Proprotein convertases have medical significance, because they are involved in many important biological processes, such as cholesterol synthesis. Compounds called proprotein convertase inhibitors can block their action, and block the target proteins from becoming active. Many proprotein convertases, especially furin and PACE4, are involved in pathological processes such as viral infection, inflammation, hypercholesterolemia, and cancer, and have been postulated as therapeutic targets for some of these diseases.
Granin is a protein family of regulated secretory proteins ubiquitously found in the cores of amine and peptide hormone and neurotransmitter dense-core secretory vesicles.
Carboxypeptidase E (CPE), also known as carboxypeptidase H (CPH) and enkephalin convertase, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the CPE gene. This enzyme catalyzes the release of C-terminal arginine or lysine residues from polypeptides.
The mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs) are transmembrane glycoproteins that target enzymes to lysosomes in vertebrates.
Mannose-6 phosphate isomerase (MPI), alternately phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) is an enzyme which facilitates the interconversion of fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) and mannose-6-phosphate (M6P). Mannose-6-phosphate isomerase may also enable the synthesis of GDP-mannose in eukaryotic organisms. M6P can be converted to F6P by mannose-6-phosphate isomerase and subsequently utilized in several metabolic pathways including glycolysis and capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis. PMI is monomeric and metallodependent on zinc as a cofactor ligand. PMI is inhibited by erythrose 4-phosphate, mannitol 1-phosphate, and to a lesser extent, the alpha anomer of M6P.
Pancreatic ribonuclease family is a superfamily of pyrimidine-specific endonucleases found in high quantity in the pancreas of certain mammals and of some reptiles.
Neuroendocrine protein 7B2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SCG5 gene. The protein expressed by this gene is widely distributed in neuroendocrine tissues. It functions as a chaperone protein for the proprotein convertase PC2 by blocking the aggregation of this protein, and is required for the production of an active PC2 enzyme. It is an intrinsically disordered protein that may also function as a chaperone for other aggregating secretory proteins in addition to proPC2. 7B2 has been identified in vertebrates and in invertebrates as low as flatworms and insects. It is also called Sgne1 and Secretogranin V. In C. elegans, it was originally called e7B2 and then renamed Seven B Two. There is a Pfam entry for this protein: Secretogranin_V (PF05281).
Secretogranin III, also known as SCG3, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the SCG3 gene.
Aminopeptidase B is an enzyme. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Yapsin 1 is an enzyme. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Magnolysin is an enzyme. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
A prohormone is a committed precursor of a hormone consisting of peptide hormones synthesized together that has a minimal hormonal effect by itself because of its expression-suppressing structure, often created by protein folding and binding additional peptide chains to certain ends, that makes hormone receptor binding sites located on its peptide hormone chain segments inaccessible. Prohormones can travel the blood stream as a hormone in an inactivated form, ready to be activated later in the cell by post-translational modification.
References
- ↑ Loh YP, Parish DC, Tuteja R (June 1985). "Purification and characterization of a paired basic residue-specific pro-opiomelanocortin converting enzyme from bovine pituitary intermediate lobe secretory vesicles". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 260 (12): 7194–205. PMID 2987247.
- ↑ Loh YP (September 1986). "Kinetic studies on the processing of human beta-lipotropin by bovine pituitary intermediate lobe pro-opiomelanocortin-converting enzyme". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 261 (26): 11949–55. PMID 3017955.
- ↑ Estivariz FE, Birch NP, Loh YP (October 1989). "Generation of Lys-gamma 3-melanotropin from pro-opiomelanocortin 1-77 by a bovine intermediate lobe secretory vesicle membrane-associated aspartic protease and purified pro-opiomelanocortin converting enzyme". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 264 (30): 17796–801. PMID 2553692.
