Alternative titles; symbols
HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: PGC
Cytogenetic location: 6p21.1 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38): 6:41,736,711-41,747,397 (from NCBI)
Pepsinogen, the inactive precursor of pepsin, a typical aspartic proteinase, is synthesized in the chief cells of gastric glands. Hayano et al. (1988) isolated the entire human pepsinogen C gene from a cosmid genomic library. The predicted 388-amino acid protein consists of a 16-residue signal sequence, a 43-residue activation peptide, and a 329-residue mature pepsin containing the 2 active-stie aspartic acids.
One group of pepsinogens (Pg1-Pg5), called PGA or group I pepsinogen (169700), is characterized by electrophoretically faster migration and localization in the fundus and body of the stomach; the second group (Pg6 and Pg7), termed pepsinogen C, is localized in the whole stomach. PGCs are found in prostate and in seminal fluid whereas PGAs are not (Chiang et al., 1981; summary by Taggart et al., 1989). Taggart et al. (1989) proposed that the absence of detectable immunologic crossreactivity between the pepsinogens A and C results from divergent evolution of sequences located on the surface of the zymogens in contrast to the strongly conserved active site regions located within the binding cleft of the enzymes, inaccessible for antigenic recognition. Although antigenically distinct, pepsinogens A and C exhibit a high degree of homology in their active site regions.
Hayano et al. (1988) determined the nucleotide sequences of the exons and the 5-prime and 3-prime flanking regions of PGC. The organization of the gene is similar to that of other aspartic proteinases.
Using a PGC cDNA probe for the study of a panel of mouse/human somatic cell hybrids, Taggart et al. (1987) mapped the PGC gene to 6pter-p21.1. (See also Pals et al. (1989).) Taggart et al. (1989) noted that the mouse pepsinogen locus Upg-1 is linked to H-2 on chromosome 17 (Szymura and Klein, 1981). Randolph et al. (1989) localized the PGC gene to 6p21.3-p21.1 by linkage analysis using an RFLP of the PGC gene together with serologic markers of HLA and GLO1 (138750). They suggested that the provisional order of the loci is cen--PGC--GLO1--HLA. By analysis of flow-sorted human chromosomes as well as human/mouse somatic cell hybrid lines, Takahara et al. (1989) demonstrated that PGC is located on chromosome 6.
Chiang, L., Contreras, L., Chiang, J., Ward, P. H. Human prostatic gastricsinogen: the precursor of seminal fluid acid proteinase. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 210: 14-20, 1981. [PubMed: 6794457] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-9861(81)90158-2]
Hayano, T., Sogawa, K., Ichihara, Y., Fujii-Kuriyama, Y., Takahashi, K. Primary structure of human pepsinogen C gene. J. Biol. Chem. 263: 1382-1385, 1988. Note: Erratum: J. Biol. Chem. 263: 14592 only, 1988. [PubMed: 3335549]
Pals, G., Azuma, T., Mohandas, T. K., Bell, G. I., Bacon, J., Samloff, I. M., Walz, D. A., Barr, P. J., Taggart, R. T. Human pepsinogen C (progastricsin) polymorphism: evidence for a single locus located at 6p21.1-pter. Genomics 4: 137-145, 1989. [PubMed: 2567697] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1016/0888-7543(89)90292-9]
Randolph, L. M., Azuma, T., Petersen, G. M., Sparkes, R. S., Toyoda, M., Wang, S. J., Taggart, R. T. Assignment of pepsinogen C (PGC) to 6p21.3-p21.1. (Abstract) Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 51: 1063-1064, 1989.
Szymura, J. M., Klein, J. Linkage of a gene controlling urinary pepsinogen with the major histocompatibility complex of the mouse. Immunogenetics 13: 267-271, 1981. [PubMed: 7275224] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350793]
Taggart, R. T., Cass, L. G., Mohandas, T. K., Derby, P., Barr, P. J., Pals, G., Bell, G. I. Human pepsinogen C (progastricsin): isolation of cDNA clones, localization to chromosome 6, and sequence homology with pepsinogen A. J. Biol. Chem. 264: 375-379, 1989. [PubMed: 2909526]
Taggart, R. T., Mohandas, T. K., Bell, G. I. Assignment of human preprogastricsin (PGC) to chromosome 6 and regional localization of PGC (6pter-p21.1), prolactin PRL (6pter-p21.1). (Abstract) Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 46: 701-702, 1987.
Takahara, K., Fukushige, S., Murotsu, T., Ichihara, Y., Hayano, T., Ishihara, T., Takahashi, K. Assignment of human pepsinogen C (PGC) gene to chromosome 6. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 52: 100-101, 1989. [PubMed: 2612209] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1159/000132853]