The amyloid present in the islets of Langerhans in type 2 diabetes is polymerized islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). The precursor protein proIAPP is posttranslationally modified, a process involving the removal of NH 2 -and COOH-terminal flanking peptides. This step is performed by the prohormone convertases PC2 and PC1/3. PC2 processes proIAPP preferably at the NH 2 -terminal processing site, and PC1/3 processes proIAPP exclusively at the COOH-terminal site. Little is known regarding the exact circumstances leading to islet amyloid formation. In this study, we have examined the possible significance of aberrant processing of proIAPP on amyloid formation in several in vitro cellular systems. In our studies, human (h)-proIAPP was transfected into -TC-6 cells expressing both prohormone convertases and in which proIAPP is processed into IAPP. Additionally P ancreatic islet amyloid is a frequent and characteristic pathological feature of type 2 diabetes. The amount of amyloid deposited varies, but it is present to some degree in 40 -95% of the patients (1-3), and a decrease in the number of -cells follows the accumulation of islet amyloid (4 -6). The main amyloid constituent is the 37-amino acid polypeptide hormone islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) (7) or amylin (8). This -cell product is stored (9) and released together with insulin upon stimulation (10,11). In humans, IAPP is synthesized as a 67-amino acid proIAPP molecule from which NH 2 -terminal and COOH-terminal flanking peptides are subsequently removed proteolytically (12). This posttranslational processing within the secretory granules occurs at di-basic amino acids and is performed by the prohormone convertases 2 and 1/3 (PC2 and PC1/3). These are the same enzymes that process proinsulin to insulin at the same cellular location (13). In in vitro studies on the processing of human proIAPP (h-proIAPP) by recombinant converting enzymes, PC2 favored processing at the NH 2 -terminal flanking region and PC1/3 had its initial activity at the COOH-terminal region. However, during extended incubation time, both PC2 and PC1/3 could, to some degree, process proIAPP at both cleavage sites (14). In contrast, the in vivo results from studies on the processing of proIAPP performed in PC2 (15) and PC1/3 (16) null mice showed that PC2 is required for cleavage at the NH 2 -terminal region and that PC1/3 processes the COOHterminal flanking region. However, in the absence of PC1/3, this cleavage site can be processed by PC2.Little is known about the mechanisms that precede the deposition of islet amyloid. The use of human IAPP (h-IAPP)-expressing transgenic animals has demonstrated that increased expression of IAPP by itself is not sufficient for amyloid to develop (17-19). However, introduction of the h-IAPP gene into mouse strains with diabetic traits resulted in the formation of islet amyloid (20,21). Amyloid was also detected in transgenic animals fed a high-fat diet (22). In mouse IAPP (mIAPP)-null mice expressing the gene for h-IAPP, amyloid developed within 9 months ...