Yapsin 1 immunoreactivity in {alpha}-cells of human pancreatic islets: implications for the processing of human proglucagon by mammalian aspartic proteases.

ABSTRACT: Yapsin 1 is an aspartic protease from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and belongs to a class of aspartic proteases that demonstrate specificity for basic amino acids. It is capable of processing prohormone substrates at specific basic residue cleavage sites, similar to that of the prohormone convertases, to generate bioactive peptide hormones. An antibody raised against yapsin 1 was previously shown to immunostain endocrine cells of rat pituitary and brain as well as lysates from bovine pituitary secretory granules demonstrating the existence of yapsin 1-like aspartic proteases in mammalian endocrine tissues, potentially involved in peptide hormone production. Here, we show the specific staining of yapsin 1 immunoreactivity in the α-cells of human pancreatic islets. No staining was observed in th

SUBMITTER: Cawley NX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3640344 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature