Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide production

Proteases are required to generate active peptide neurotransmitters, known as neuropeptides, from pro-neuropeptides. Model animal systems have recently illustrated roles for the cathepsin V (CTSV) and cathepsin L (CTSL) cysteine proteases, combined with the serine proteases PC1/3 (PCSK1) and PC2 (PC...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sonia Podvin, Aneta Wojnicz, Vivian Hook
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2018-07-01
Series:Heliyon
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844018307655
_version_ 1819082683866677248
author Sonia Podvin
Aneta Wojnicz
Vivian Hook
author_facet Sonia Podvin
Aneta Wojnicz
Vivian Hook
author_sort Sonia Podvin
collection DOAJ
description Proteases are required to generate active peptide neurotransmitters, known as neuropeptides, from pro-neuropeptides. Model animal systems have recently illustrated roles for the cathepsin V (CTSV) and cathepsin L (CTSL) cysteine proteases, combined with the serine proteases PC1/3 (PCSK1) and PC2 (PCSK2), and exopeptidases in the production of neuropeptides. There is notable interest in the human-specific cathepsin V gene which is not present in rodent and other animal models used in prior studies of neuropeptide production. A gap in the field is knowledge of the human brain gene expression patterns of these neuropeptide-producing protease systems. Therefore, the goal of this study was to characterize the expression profiles of these pro-neuropeptide processing proteases in human brain. Quantitative gene expression microarray data for 169 human brain regions was obtained from the Allen Institute Human Brain Atlas resource, analyzed as log2 of gene expression intensity normalized to the mean of human genes (21,245 genes) expressed in human brain. These proteases had log2 values of 2–12, indicating expression levels above the average of all genes in the human brain, with varying expression levels among the 169 brain regions. CTSV and CTSL displayed moderate to high expression values of 1.9–8.6 and 7.1–10.6, respectively. Interestingly, CTSV and CTSL showed high expression in white matter composed of myelinated axons, consistent with the knowledge that neuropeptide production occurs in axons within transported neuropeptide secretory vesicles to nerve terminals. PCSK1 had a broad range of moderate to very high expression with log2 of 2–12. PCSK2 had somewhat lower expression levels than PCSK1. The exopeptidase genes RNPEP, CTSH, and CPE each showed fairly even levels of expression throughout the brain, with CPE displaying high expression. The prevalence of these processing proteases throughout human brain regions, including areas rich in neuropeptides such as hypothalamus, is consistent with their roles for neuropeptide production. Further, proenkephalin and NPY precursors, substrates of CTSV and CTSL shown in prior model animal studies, were co-expressed with CTSV and CTSL. These data demonstrate that the human brain expresses the neuropeptide-producing cysteine and serine proteases, with exopeptidases, throughout a multitude of brain regions.
first_indexed 2024-12-21T20:20:35Z
format Article
id doaj.art-59a98c129f914ba991cac300c47c4e0c
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2405-8440
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T20:20:35Z
publishDate 2018-07-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Heliyon
spelling doaj.art-59a98c129f914ba991cac300c47c4e0c2022-12-21T18:51:29ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402018-07-0147e00673Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide productionSonia Podvin0Aneta Wojnicz1Vivian Hook2Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USASkaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USASkaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; School of Medicine, Dept. of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; School of Medicine, Dept. of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Corresponding author.Proteases are required to generate active peptide neurotransmitters, known as neuropeptides, from pro-neuropeptides. Model animal systems have recently illustrated roles for the cathepsin V (CTSV) and cathepsin L (CTSL) cysteine proteases, combined with the serine proteases PC1/3 (PCSK1) and PC2 (PCSK2), and exopeptidases in the production of neuropeptides. There is notable interest in the human-specific cathepsin V gene which is not present in rodent and other animal models used in prior studies of neuropeptide production. A gap in the field is knowledge of the human brain gene expression patterns of these neuropeptide-producing protease systems. Therefore, the goal of this study was to characterize the expression profiles of these pro-neuropeptide processing proteases in human brain. Quantitative gene expression microarray data for 169 human brain regions was obtained from the Allen Institute Human Brain Atlas resource, analyzed as log2 of gene expression intensity normalized to the mean of human genes (21,245 genes) expressed in human brain. These proteases had log2 values of 2–12, indicating expression levels above the average of all genes in the human brain, with varying expression levels among the 169 brain regions. CTSV and CTSL displayed moderate to high expression values of 1.9–8.6 and 7.1–10.6, respectively. Interestingly, CTSV and CTSL showed high expression in white matter composed of myelinated axons, consistent with the knowledge that neuropeptide production occurs in axons within transported neuropeptide secretory vesicles to nerve terminals. PCSK1 had a broad range of moderate to very high expression with log2 of 2–12. PCSK2 had somewhat lower expression levels than PCSK1. The exopeptidase genes RNPEP, CTSH, and CPE each showed fairly even levels of expression throughout the brain, with CPE displaying high expression. The prevalence of these processing proteases throughout human brain regions, including areas rich in neuropeptides such as hypothalamus, is consistent with their roles for neuropeptide production. Further, proenkephalin and NPY precursors, substrates of CTSV and CTSL shown in prior model animal studies, were co-expressed with CTSV and CTSL. These data demonstrate that the human brain expresses the neuropeptide-producing cysteine and serine proteases, with exopeptidases, throughout a multitude of brain regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844018307655Neuroscience
spellingShingle Sonia Podvin
Aneta Wojnicz
Vivian Hook
Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide production
Heliyon
Neuroscience
title Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide production
title_full Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide production
title_fullStr Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide production
title_full_unstemmed Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide production
title_short Human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin V and cathepsin L cysteine proteases, with the PC1/3 and PC2 serine proteases, involved in neuropeptide production
title_sort human brain gene expression profiles of the cathepsin v and cathepsin l cysteine proteases with the pc1 3 and pc2 serine proteases involved in neuropeptide production
topic Neuroscience
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844018307655
work_keys_str_mv AT soniapodvin humanbraingeneexpressionprofilesofthecathepsinvandcathepsinlcysteineproteaseswiththepc13andpc2serineproteasesinvolvedinneuropeptideproduction
AT anetawojnicz humanbraingeneexpressionprofilesofthecathepsinvandcathepsinlcysteineproteaseswiththepc13andpc2serineproteasesinvolvedinneuropeptideproduction
AT vivianhook humanbraingeneexpressionprofilesofthecathepsinvandcathepsinlcysteineproteaseswiththepc13andpc2serineproteasesinvolvedinneuropeptideproduction