A radioactive assay for the degradation of neuropeptide Y

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most abundant neuropeptides in the mammalian central nervous system. Like other neuropeptides, NPY is inactivated by specialized neuropeptidases. To trace the degradation of NPY, an assay was established using biotinylated NPY. Biotinyl-NPY was radiolabeled with Na125l by the chloramine-T method and bound to a streptavidin-agarose matrix. The amount of radiolabeling was analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC. The assay was carried out with five peptidases and inhibitors to demonstrate different specific activity. Measurable amounts of radioactivity were released by treatment with endopeptidase-24.18, plasmin, and trypsin, whereas dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPPIV) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) showed no activity in this assay. In the case of DPPIV this is due to a resistance of the assay to aminopeptidase attack. The assay is useful to study the specific degradation of NPY particularly by endopeptidases in all kinds of biological samples.