Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Primary structure of the human Met- and Leu-enkephalin precursor and its mRNA

Abstract

The nucleotide sequence of a complete cDNA copy of enkephalin precursor mRNA from human phaeochromocytoma is reported. The corresponding amino acid sequence shows that the precursor is 267 amino acids long and contains six interspersed Met-enkephalin sequences and one Leu-enkephalin sequence. Five of the seven enkephalins are flanked on both sides by pairs of basic amino acid residues. The precursor does not contain the sequences of the opioid peptides, dynorphin, α-neo-endorphin or β-endorphin.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hughes, J. et al. Nature 258, 577–579 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Li, C. H. & Chung, D. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73, 1145–1148 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bradbury, A. F., Smyth, P. G., Snell, C. R., Birdsall, N. J. M. & Hulme, E. C. Nature 260, 793–795 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Goldstein, A, Tachibay, A. S., Lowney, L. I., Hunkapiller, R. M. & Hood, L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 6666–6670 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kangawa, K., Matsuo, H. & Igarashi, M. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 86, 153–160 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Mains, R. E., Eipper, B. A. & Ling, N. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 3014–3018 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Roberts, J. L. & Herbert, E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 4826–4830 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Roberts, J. L. & Herbert, E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5300–5304 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Stern, A. S. et al. Biosynthesis, Modification and Processing of Cellular and Viral Proteins (eds Koch, G. & Richter, D. (Academic, New York, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kilpatrick, D. L. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 3265–3268 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Giraud, P. & Eiden, L. E. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 99, 969–975 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Comb, M. & Herbert, E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).

  13. Sanger, F., Nickleu, S. & Coulson, A. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5463–5467 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Messing, J., Crea, R. & Seeburg, P. H. Nucleic Acids Res. 9, 309–321 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Richard, R. I., Shine, J., Ullrich, A., Wells, J. R. E. & Goodman, H. M. Nucleic Acids Res. 7, 1137–1146 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Proudfoot, N. J. & Brownlee, G. G. Nature 263, 211–214 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Steiner, D. F., Quinn, P. S., Shu, J. C., March, J. & Tager, H. S. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 343, 1–16 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Dandekar, S. & Sabol, S. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).

  19. Lewis, R. V., Stern, A. S., Rossier, J., Stern, S. & Udenfriend, S. Science 208, 1459–1561 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Beaumont, A., Feuntes, J. A., Hughes, J. & Metters, K. M. FEBS Lett. 122, 135–137 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Steiner, D. F., Cunningham, D., Spiegelman, L. & Aton, D. Science 157, 697–701 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Nakanishi, S. et al. Nature 278, 423–427 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Marshall, R. D. A. Rev. Biochem. 41, 673–702 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Pedersen, R. C. & Brownie, A. C. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 2239–2243 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Thomas, P. S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 5201–5205 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Deng, G. & Wu, R. Nucleic Acids Res. 9, 4173–4188 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Grunstein, M. & Hogness, D. S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 72, 3961–3965 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Noda, M. et al. Nature 295, 202–206 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Gubler, U., Seeburg, P., Hoffman, B. J., Gage, L. P. & Udenfriend, S. Nature 295, 206–209 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Comb, M., Seeburg, P., Adelman, J. et al. Primary structure of the human Met- and Leu-enkephalin precursor and its mRNA. Nature 295, 663–666 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/295663a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/295663a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing