Role of pro-IGF-II processing by proprotein convertase 4 in human placental development.

ABSTRACT: Fetal growth restriction (intrauterine growth restriction, IUGR) is a leading cause of perinatal mortality. However, the causes of aberrant development of the placenta and, thus, of the fetus, are not currently known. Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) has been shown to be an important regulator of fetoplacental growth. This growth factor must undergo posttranslational processing, and, thus, we hypothesized that aberrant processing of pro-IGF-II to IGF-II may be a cause of IUGR. Here, we have found that the proprotein convertase PC4 is expressed in the human placenta and that it cleaves pro-IGF-II to generate the intermediate processed form, IGF-II (1-102) and, subsequently, mature IGF-II (1-67), which are accounted for by the removal of terminal basic residues by carboxypeptidases. Th

SUBMITTER: Qiu Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1182422 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature