Biosynthesis of pancreatic islet hormones

We have outlined the various strategies used to characterize the precursors of three pancreatic islet hormones--somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide and VIP. In each case, isolation of the cDNA clones was facilitated by the use of gastrointestinal tissues that were extremely rich in specific mRNA. Characterization of the structures of the precursors is clearly only the first step in understanding the regulation of pancreatic hormone biosynthesis. It is likely that the availability of the cDNA clones will allow us to define the actual mechanisms underlying hormone production within the pancreas.