Processing and bioactivity of the corpuscles of Stannius protein of the Australian eel

The primary structure of the major protein from the Corpuscles of Stannius (CS) of the Australian eel was elucidated from the cDNA sequence and was found to bear close similarity to the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the presumably homologous salmon hormone, teleocalcin (TC). The cDNA sequence predicted a preproprotein of 263 amino acids. Following removal of a 17 amino acid signal peptide, specific monobasic cleavage at an Arg-Phe bond generates the 231 amino acid mature form of the protein. The isolation and sequence determination of the prosequence confirms that the precursor contains a prosegment of 15 residues. Various fragments of the protein have been synthesized chemically and their biological activity assessed. The N-terminal 1-20 fragment of the mature protein inhibits calcium uptake in fingerling trout, the effect being similar, but not equipotent to salmon teleocalcin. Further, infusion of either the N-terminal 1-20 or the 81-94 fragment at 50 μg/h into the renal artery of conscious sheep, caused significant decreases in systemic plasma potassium concentration and in potassium excretion. The 1-20 fragment also gave rise to a small but significant increase in sodium excretion. Infusion of TC at the same rate results in a significant decrease in plasma potassium and phosphate concentration as well as a significant decrease in potassium excretion. Bovine PTH (1-34) at 100 μg/h causes a small decrease in plasma potassium and phosphate and an increase in plasma calcium concentration, and was the only peptide to cause a significant decrease in calcium excretion.