Expression and processing of peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase messenger RNA in rat prostate

The prostate gland contains neuroendocrine cells and amidated neuroendocrine peptides whose presence has been related to aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The enzyme peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) is critical to the biosynthesis of amidated peptides and is commonly present in neuroendocrine cells. By northern blot hybridization analysis, PAM mRNA was detected in similar quantities in dorsolateral and ventral prostates of 3-month-old and 13-month-old rats. Multiple forms of PAM mRNA were present whose size distribution was more similar to PAM mRNAs found in pituitary than atrium. Alternative splice sites in PAM mRNA were investigated by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Similar alternatively spliced forms of PAM mRNA were found in both prostate lobes, pituitary, and atrium. However, the distribution of forms in the prostate most resembled that of pituitary. Multiple forms of PAM mRNA are present in prostate and may serve as markers of neuroendocrine differentiation.