Pancreas
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Pancreatic stone protein/reg protein (PSP/reg) is a secretory pancreatic protein of hitherto unknown function. It is precursor to a spontaneously precipitating peptide called pancreatic thread protein, which is found in protein plugs within the pancreatic ductal system. Increasing PSP/reg concentrations in pancreatic juice might augment the risk of intraductal plug formation and therefore be a condition predisposing to chronic pancreatitis. ⋯ After a temporary increase in PSP/reg levels due to a carbohydrate-deficient high-protein diet, we could not find signs of a diet-dependent regulation of this protein. The regulation of PSP/reg thus differs from that of most other pancreatic secretory proteins. Our findings contradict earlier reports that had drawn conclusions based solely on messenger RNA levels.