|
General Comment |
AR Pierotti, et al 1991 reported the presence of endopeptidase-24.15 in rat hypothalamic/pituitary/gonadal axis.
Endopeptidase-24.15 (E.C. 3.4.24.15; EP-24.15) cleaves several substrates found in the hypothalamic/pituitary/gonadal axis, including gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and the opioid peptides of the dynorphin family. A developmental regulation of EP-24.15-specific activity is apparent in anterior pituitary, in hypothalamus, and in the gonads. EP-24.15 is increased in the preoptic area and is decreased in the anterior pituitary in both male and female rats prior to puberty. The specific activity of EP-24.15 was increased following ovariectomy in the anterior pituitary and within medial and lateral preoptic nuclei. Testicular specific activity of EP-24.15 increased with age in a linear fashion, while ovarian EP-24.15 activity increased immediately prior to puberty, but returned to prepubertal levels by 65 days of age. The relevance of EP-24.15 to the metabolism of specific peptides is discussed.
|