Drucker D J, Asa S
Department of Medicine, Toronto General Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
J Biol Chem. 1988 Sep 25;263(27):13475-8.
An increasing number of regulatory peptide genes are known to be transcribed in neuroendocrine cells of the intestine and neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system. The discovery of the expression of peptide hormone genes in the nervous system has led to the suggestion that these peptides may function as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and releasing or inhibiting factors in different regions of the brain. Glucagon and the glucagon-like peptides are derived from proglucagon in the pancreatic islets and intestine. A role for these peptides in the central nervous system has been proposed, but evidence for the biosynthesis of proglucagon in brain has been lacking. We now report that the glucagon gene is expressed in the brainstem and hypothalamus and that a glucagon mRNA transcript identical to that produced in pancreas and intestine gives rise to proglucagon-related peptides in the brain.
已知越来越多的调节肽基因在肠道的神经内分泌细胞以及中枢和外周神经系统的神经元中被转录。肽激素基因在神经系统中的表达发现提示，这些肽可能在大脑的不同区域充当神经递质、神经调质以及释放或抑制因子。胰高血糖素和胰高血糖素样肽源自胰岛和肠道中的胰高血糖素原。已有人提出这些肽在中枢神经系统中发挥作用，但一直缺乏大脑中胰高血糖素原生物合成的证据。我们现在报告，胰高血糖素基因在脑干和下丘脑表达，并且在大脑中产生了与胰腺和肠道中产生的相同的胰高血糖素mRNA转录本，从而产生了与胰高血糖素原相关的肽。
