Mouse submandibular gland prorenin-converting enzyme is a member of glandular kallikrein family

Abstract

Mouse submandibular gland prorenin-converting enzyme (PRECE) consists of the two polypeptide chains of 17 and 10 kDa and cleaves mouse Ren-2 prorenin at a dibasic site to yield mature renin. Western blot analysis using an antiserum against this enzyme gave rise to multiple bands in mouse submandibular glands, suggesting that PRECE is a member of a protease family. Partial amino acid sequence analysis of purified PRECE and cloning and sequence analyses of its cDNA indicated that it is identical to the mGK-13 gene product, epidermal growth factor-binding protein type B, which is a member of the glandular kallikrein family and is involved in maturation of epidermal growth factor. Conditioned medium from Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with an expression plasmid for PRECE had prorenin converting activity. These results indicate that PRECE is involved in the maturation of two bioactive polypeptides expressed in mouse submandibular glands, Ren-2 renin and epidermal growth factor.