Trypsinogen Genes: Insights into Molecular Evolution from the Study of Pathogenic Mutations

Jian‐Min Chen, INSERM U1078 and EFS‐Bretagne, Brest, France
David N Cooper, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Claude Férec, INSERM U1078 and EFS‐Bretagne, Brest, France

Published online: February 2013

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0006140.pub3

The basic fuel for evolution is genetic variation that is subsequently acted on by natural selection. Selection may either act conservatively so as to ensure that features of structural or functional importance are retained (purifying selection), or it may act so as to favour those changes, which confer some advantageous characteristics (positive selection). Insights into these divergent evolutionary processes are sometimes generated through the study of pathogenic mutations, an archetypal example being the human trypsinogen genes. The integration of data gleaned from the functional characterisation of pathogenic missense mutations in the human cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1) with information obtained from comparative sequence analysis has provided evidence for stepwise selective pressures acting against prematurely activated trypsin within the human pancreas. Studies of PRSS1 mutations have also revealed evidence for past gene conversion events between the various trypsinogen gene family members and have helped to improve our understanding of the evolutionary history of these genes.

Key Concepts:

  • Trypsinogen plays an important role in digestion.
  • Prematurely activated trypsin within the pancreas, if not inhibited and/or inactivated, has the potential to trigger the pancreatic zymogen activation cascade, leading to pancreatic autodigestion and pancreatitis.
  • Gain-of-function mutations in the human cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1) cause chronic pancreatitis.
  • Pathogenic PRSS1 mutations have been exploited to understand the molecular evolution of the human trypsinogen family.
  • Pathogenic mutations in PRSS1 have revealed the molecular footprints of gene conversion occurring between the highly homologous human trypsinogen genes.
  • The integration of data gleaned from the functional characterisation of pathogenic PRSS1 missense mutations with information obtained from comparative sequence analysis has provided evidence for stepwise selective pressures acting against prematurely activated trypsin within the human pancreas.
  • Genetic data have also helped to improve our understanding of the evolutionary history of the different human trypsinogen genes.

Keywords: chronic pancreatitis; gene conversion; gene formation; missense mutation; natural selection; trypsinogen gene family; molecular evolution

Figure 1. Genomic organisation of the human trypsinogen gene family. The divergently evolved T1, T2 and T3 genes (Rowen et al., 1996) are not shown. T5 and T7 are pseudogenes (Rowen et al., 1996), whereas T6 is annotated as an expressed pseudogene (Chen et al., 2001). Official gene symbols of the three functional genes and abundance of their encoded proteins in the human pancreatic juices are also shown. Adapted from Chen and Férec, 2009.
Figure 2. Amino acid sequences of the three functional human trypsinogen isoforms. Signal peptide is highlighted in blue. The amino acid residues of the activation peptide are highlighted in red and numbered P1, P2, P3, etc., from the scissile bond towards the N terminus (Berger and Schechter, 1970). The disease-causing mutations in the cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1) that shed light on the stepwise selective pressures acting on trypsinogen gene products against premature activation of trypsin within human pancreas are indicated. The amino acid sequence predicted from T6 is also shown; the presence of His instead of Arg at position 122 (Arg122 is the primary autolysis site of mammalian trypsin(ogens)) being underlined.
Figure 3. Trypsinogen, a double-edged sword. (a) Illustration of the physiological role of trypsinogen in digestion. (b) Illustration of the pathogenic role of prematurely activated trypsinogen within the pancreas. Normally, prematurely activated trypsin within the pancreas can be inhibited by the human pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor and/or degraded by chymotrypsinogen C and trypsin itself. A defect in one or a combination of these defence mechanisms may trigger the zymogen activation cascade leading to pancreatic autodigestion. Adapted from Chen and Férec, 2009.
Figure 4. Gene conversion-like mutations causing chronic pancreatitis in the human cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1). (a) The p.Arg122His missense mutation caused by a double nucleotide substitution in exon 3 of PRSS1. (b) The p.Ala16Val, p.Asn29Ile and p.Asn29Thr missense mutations in exon 2 of PRSS1. In (a) and (b), the most likely ‘donor’ sequences for the gene conversion events are shown in shaded colours. (c) The gene conversion event involving the replacement of the entire exon 2 of PRSS1 by that of PRSS2. The two vertical bars delimit the maximal converted tract of the p.Asn29Ile gene conversion-like event illustrated in (b). Dashes indicate identity with the T4 sequence. Exons are in upper case, introns in lower case.
Figure 5. Multiple alignment of the partial amino acid sequences of vertebrate trypsinogens around residue 29. Note that Asn (N) and Ile (I) at residue 29 (highlighted in bold) are human cationic- and anionic-trypsinogen specific, respectively.
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 Further Reading
    book Chen JM and Férec C (2013a) "Cationic trypsin (Human)". In: Rawlings ND and Salvesen GS (eds.) Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes, 3rd edn, pp. 2609–2614. Oxford: Academic Press.
    book Chen JM and Férec C (2013b) "Anionic trypsin (Human)". In: Rawlings ND and Salvesen GS (eds) Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes, 3rd edn, pp. 2614–2616. Oxford: Academic Press.

Related Sub-Topics:

Molecular Evolution | Evolutionary Processes | Protein Evolution | Selection and Variation
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Article Title: Trypsinogen Genes: Insights into Molecular Evolution from the Study of Pathogenic Mutations
 
How to Cite close
Chen, Jian‐Min, Cooper, David N, and Férec, Claude(Feb 2013) Trypsinogen Genes: Insights into Molecular Evolution from the Study of Pathogenic Mutations. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0006140.pub3]