VIP and PACAP.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is derived from a 170 amino acid precursor which in addition is processed to preproVIP 22-79, PHI, preproVIP 111-122 and preproVIP 156-170. All preproVIP-derived peptides have been shown in normal tissue and VIP-producing cell lines and elevated quantities occur in plasma and tumour tissues from patients with VIP-producing tumours. In some tissues the dibasic cleavage site after PHI is uncleaved resulting in a C-terminally extended form, PHV. PHI and VIP are present in a 1:1 molar ratio in large dense core vesicles and released in roughly equimolar amounts. Carboxyamidation of VIP and PHI is not critical and glycine-extended forms of both peptides have been demonstrated. Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is derived from a 170 amino acid long precursor, which gives rise to PACAP 38, PACAP 27 and PACAP related peptide (PRP). All peptides are present in tissue, the dominating form being PACAP 38. Prohormone convertase (PC) 1 and 2 seem to be involved in the processing of PACAP, except in the testes and ovary, where the PACAP precursor is substrate for PC4.