Molecular cloning of cDNA encoding the precursor for hamster hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing factor

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide and growth hormone-releasing hormone-like peptide in sturgeon, whitefish, grayling, flounder and halibut: cDNA sequence, exon skipping and evolution

To better understand the evolution of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), we isolated the cDNAs encoding these peptides from the brains of five species of fish: sturgeon, whitefish, grayling, flounder and halibut. Both hormones are encoded in tandem in full-length cDNAs. We compared the phylogenetic relationship among these and other known sequences encoding PACAP. In closely related species, transcripts encoding PACAP and GHRH are strongly conserved in the hormone coding regions, moderately conserved in the signal peptide, cryptic peptide and 3'-untranslated regions, but are most varied in the 5'-untranslated regions.Next, we compared the deduced amino acid sequences for the peptides to known sequences. Sturgeon and whitefish have a PACAP(38) peptide sequence that is 92% conserved compared to human PACAP(38), the highest for a fish reported to date. GHRH is the lesser conserved of the two peptides with only 39% to 45% conservation between fish and human.Each of the five fish species had a second cDNA encoding a short precursor lacking GHRH(1-32), the bioactive portion of GHRH. This suggests that exon skipping in GHRH-PACAP transcripts may be an important mechanism for regulating the ratio of PACAP to GHRH peptides.

Sequence and expression of a cDNA encoding both pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide and growth hormone-releasing hormone-like peptide in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

In nonmammalian vertebrates, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) and a putative growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH-like peptide) are encoded by a single mRNA transcript. Both PACAP and GHRH have been implicated in the control of fish growth. Although the gene encoding PACAP and GHRH-like peptide (GHRHLP) has been cloned in other fishes, characterization of this gene in the commercially important channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) has not been previously reported. In this study, the GHRHLP/PACAP cDNA was cloned from channel catfish hypothalamic tissue and a brain cDNA library. Two cDNA variants of the GHRHLP/PACAP precursor gene were identified as a result of alternative splicing, a long form encoding both PACAP and GHRHLP and a short form encoding only PACAP. Both the long and the short forms of the GHRHLP/PACAP precursor cDNA were identified in channel catfish brain, pituitary, fat, gastrointestinal tract, ovary, testes, and muscle by RT-PCR detection. This study is the first to demonstrate mRNA expression of this gene in fat or skeletal muscle of fish. By characterizing the GHRHLP/PACAP gene and its distribution in channel catfish, we have developed essential tools to investigate the roles of these peptides in the regulation of catfish growth.

The origin and function of the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)/glucagon superfamily

The pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)/ glucagon superfamily includes nine hormones in humans that are related by structure, distribution (especially the brain and gut), function (often by activation of cAMP), and receptors (a subset of seven-transmembrane receptors). The nine hormones include glucagon, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), GLP-2, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), GH-releasing hormone (GRF), peptide histidine-methionine (PHM), PACAP, secretin, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). The origin of the ancestral superfamily members is at least as old as the invertebrates; the most ancient and tightly conserved members are PACAP and glucagon. Evidence to date suggests the superfamily began with a gene or exon duplication and then continued to diverge with some gene duplications in vertebrates. The function of PACAP is considered in detail because it is newly (1989) discovered; it is tightly conserved (96% over 700 million years); and it is probably the ancestral molecule. The diverse functions of PACAP include regulation of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in some cell populations. In addition, PACAP regulates metabolism and the cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems, although the physiological event(s) that coordinates PACAP responses remains to be identified.