SEQUENCE-ANALYSIS AND EXPRESSION OF HUMAN NEUROPSIN CDNA AND GENE

Neuropsin is a serine protease which is thought to function in a varie ty of tissues including the brain and skin. This protease has been sho wn to have important roles in neural plasticity in mice. Here we have cloned a cDNA and analyzed the gene for human neuropsin by polymerase chain reaction-based strategies. The cDNA. had 72% identity to mouse n europsin. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 72% identity to mouse neuropsin. Key amino acid residues for the enzyme activity and all cy steine residues were conserved between human and mouse neuropsin. The gene for human neuropsin had six exons and five introns, and the gene organization is similar to trypsin-type serine proteases. The mRNA was expressed in primary cultures of keratinocytes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sci ence B.V. All rights reserved.