Isolation and characterization of a tumor-derived human pancreastatin-related protein.

A protein with pancreastatin-like immunoreactivity has been isolated and purified from liver metastasis of a patient with insulinoma. NH2-terminal sequence analysis in conjunction with the use of antibodies specific for the C-terminal structure of pancreastatin identified this protein as a 186-amino acid residue protein corresponding to human chromogranin A-116-301. Using a sensitive radioimmunoassay it was found that serum from the patient with insulinoma contains two peptide species; one comigrates with the 186-amino acid residue pancreastatin and the other the 48-residue pancreastatin.