Levels and molecular forms of chromogranins in human childhood neuroblastomas and ganglioneuromas

The chromogranins are a class of acidic proteins found in large secretory granules of neuroendocrine tissues and tumors derived from them. We measured the relative amounts and characterized the molecular forms of two members of this family, i.e. chromogranin A and secretogranin II, in 14 neuroblastomas and five ganglioneuromas. In all the tumors investigated significant amounts of chromogranin A and secretogranin II were found. Neuroblastomas contained two times and ganglioneuromas 45 times more secretogranin II compared to chromogranin A. Both proteins were processed in these tumors to a great extent to smaller peptides, only limited amounts of intact chromogranin A or secretogranin II were present. In general, proteolytic processing of secretogranin II to the small neuropeptide secretoneurin was more complete than that of chromogranin A to the peptide GE-25. Proteolytic processing of both chromogranins as well as the total amounts of these proteins were unrelated to tumor staging.