EXPRESSION AND PROCESSING OF PEPTIDYLGLYCINE ALPHA-AMIDATING MONOOXYGENASE MESSENGER-RNA IN RAT PROSTATE

The prostate gland contains neuroendocrine cells and amidated neuroend ocrine peptides whose presence has been related to aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The enzyme peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxyge nase (PAM) is critical to the biosynthesis of amidated peptides and is commonly present in neuroendocrine cells. By northern blot hybridizat ion analysis, PAM mRNA was detected in similar quantities in dorsolate ral and ventral prostates of 3-month-old and 13-month-old rats. Multip le forms of PAM mRNA were present whose size distribution was more sim ilar to PAM mRNAs found in pituitary than atrium. Alternative splice s ites in PAM mRNA were investigated by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Similar alternatively spliced forms of PAM mRNA were found in both prostate lobes, pituitary, and atrium. However, the dist ribution of forms in the prostate most resembled that of pituitary. Mu ltiple forms of PAM mRNA are present in prostate and may serve as mark ers of neuroendocrine differentiation. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.