Torii S, Yamagishi T, Murakami K, Nakayama K
Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
FEBS Lett. 1993 Jan 18;316(1):12-6. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(93)81726-g.
By in situ hybridization analysis, we show here the localization of furin and PC4, which are both members of a growing family of endoproteases structurally related to the yeast precursor processing protease Kex2, within mouse testis. Furin transcript was detected in both germ and somatic cells, while PC4 transcript was found only in round spermatids. Proenkephalin transcript was also localized in round spermatids. These observations suggest that, within testis, PC4 is involved in processing of peptide precursors such as proenkephalin and may play a role in regulation of sperm maturation, while furin may serve as a more general processing endoprotease.
通过原位杂交分析，我们在此展示了弗林蛋白酶（furin）和PC4在小鼠睾丸中的定位，它们都是与酵母前体加工蛋白酶Kex2结构相关的内切蛋白酶家族中不断增加的成员。在生殖细胞和体细胞中均检测到弗林蛋白酶转录本，而PC4转录本仅在圆形精子细胞中发现。脑啡肽原转录本也定位于圆形精子细胞中。这些观察结果表明，在睾丸内，PC4参与了诸如脑啡肽原等肽前体的加工，可能在精子成熟的调节中发挥作用，而弗林蛋白酶可能作为一种更普遍的加工内切蛋白酶。
