Hill Rena M, Coates Leigh C, Parmar Parmjeet K, Mezey Eva, Pearson John F, Birch Nigel P
Molecular Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Oct;971:406-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04503.x.
Serine proteases play essential roles in a wide variety of cellular processes in endocrine cells. There is a growing interest in the roles of serine protease inhibitors, or serpins, as key regulators of their activity. We have cloned two neuroserpin cDNAs from a rat pituitary cDNA library and confirmed tissue plasminogen activator as a potential target for this inhibitor. We show that neuroserpin transcripts are expressed by endocrine cells in the adrenal and pituitary glands and that immunoreactive neuroserpin is stored in densely cored secretory granules in these cells. Overexpression of neuroserpin in an anterior pituitary corticotroph cell line results in the extension of neurite-like processes, suggesting that neuroserpin may play a role in cell communication, cell adhesion, and/or cell migration.
丝氨酸蛋白酶在内分泌细胞的多种细胞过程中发挥着重要作用。作为丝氨酸蛋白酶活性的关键调节因子，丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂（即丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制蛋白，serpins）的作用越来越受到关注。我们从大鼠垂体cDNA文库中克隆了两个神经丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制蛋白（neuroserpin）的cDNA，并证实组织型纤溶酶原激活剂是该抑制剂的一个潜在靶点。我们发现，神经丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制蛋白转录本在肾上腺和垂体的内分泌细胞中表达，且免疫反应性神经丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制蛋白储存在这些细胞中密集核心的分泌颗粒中。神经丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制蛋白在前垂体促肾上腺皮质激素细胞系中的过表达导致神经突样突起的延长，这表明神经丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制蛋白可能在细胞通讯、细胞黏附和/或细胞迁移中发挥作用。
