β-Endorphin (β-EP) is an endogenous opioid neuropeptide with diverse biological activities. It is produced via piomelanocortin cleavage in the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, and in lymphocytes, then migrates to its sites of action which include plasma, gut, skin, placenta, cerebrospinal fluid, and cardiac tissues. β-EP induces concentration-dependent decreases in electrically stimulated contraction of the mouse vas deferens that can be reversed by the μ-opioid antagonist CTP and δ-opioid antagonist ICI 174,864. In vivo, β-EP (5 μg, i.c.v.) slows gastrointestinal transit in mice. β-EP (0.5 or 5 μg, i.c.v.) stimulates food intake in rats for 4 to 6 hours, however, this effect is not prolonged with continuous infusion. It antagonizes the appetite-suppressive effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) for the first three days post administration. β-EP also reduces paralytic demyelination induced by the murine coronavirus MHV-JHM in immunocompetent, but not irradiated or immune-incompetent, mice and rats.
Peptide YY (PYY) is a 36-amino acid peptide and anorectic gut hormone agonist for the neuropeptide Y receptors Y1, Y2, Y5, and Y6 with EC50 values of 0.7, 0.58, 1, and 0.8 nM, respectively, for supression of forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation. PYY is cleaved in vivo to PYY (3-36) . Release of PYY occurs postprandially in proportion to calorie intake from intestinal enteroendocrine L cells, indicating it may be a satiety signal. In humans, PYY inhibits food intake and gastrointestinal transit in both lean and obese subjects.
Obestatin is a 23 amino acid peptide hormone with a conserved C-terminal glycine residue and amidation site that is formed by cleavage of the ghrelin and obestatin prepropeptide.1It binds to the orphan receptor GPR39 (Kd= 1 nM) and stimulates cAMP production in CHO and HEK293 cells overexpressing human GPR39. Obestatin inhibits contraction of isolated mouse jejunum muscle strips induced by ghrelin .In vivo, obestatin (12.5-1,000 nmol/kg) suppresses food intake in a time- and dose-dependent manner and reduces body weight gain and gastric emptying in mice. Obestatin (0.22 g per animal) also reduces food intake and glucose response without affecting plasma insulin responses in fasted high-fat diet fed mice.2
1.Zhang, J.V., Ren, P.C., Avsian-Kretchmer, O., et al.Obestatin, a peptide encoded by the ghrelin gene, opposes ghrelin's effects on food intakeScience310(5750)996-999(2005) 2.Subasinghage, A.P., Green, B.D., Flatt, P.R., et al.Metabolic and structural properties of human obestatin {1-23} and two fragment peptidesPeptides31(9)1697-1705(2010)
Urocortin III is a neuropeptide hormone and member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family which includes mammalian CRF , urocortin , urocortin II , frog sauvagine, and piscine urotensin I.1 Human urocortin III shares 90, 40, 37, and 21% identity to mouse urocortin III , mouse urocortin II , human urocortin , and mouse urocortin, respectively. Urocortin III selectively binds to type 2 CRF receptors (Kis = 21.7, 13.5, and >100 nM for rat CRF2α, rat CRF2β, and human CRF1, respectively). It stimulates cAMP production in CHO cells expressing rat CRF2α and mouse CRF2β (EC50s = 0.16 and 0.12 nM, respectively) as well as cultured anterior pituitary cells expressing endogenous CRF2β. Urocortin III is co-released with insulin to potentiate glucose-stimulated somatostatin release in vitro in human pancreatic β-cells.2 In vivo, urocortin III reduces food intake in a dose- and time-dependent manner in mice with a minimum effective dose (MED) of 0.3 nmol/animal.3 It increases swimming time in a forced swim test in mice, indicating antidepressant-like activity.4References1. Lewis, K., Li, C., Perrin, M.H., et al. Identification of urocortin III, an additional member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family with high affinity for the CRF2 receptor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98(13), 7570-7575 (2001).2. van der Meulen, T., Donaldson, C.J., Cáceres, E., et al. Urocortin3 mediates somatostatin-dependent negative feedback control of insulin secretion. Nat. Med. 21(7), 769-776 (2015).3. Pelleymounter, M.A., Joppa, M., Ling, N., et al. Behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of the selective CRF2 receptor agonists urocortin II and urocortin III. Peptides 25(4), 659-666 (2004).4. Tanaka, M., Kádár, K., Tóth, G., et al. Antidepressant-like effects of urocortin 3 fragments. Brain Res. Bull. 84(6), 414-418 (2011).
Urocortin III is a neuropeptide hormone and member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family which includes mammalian CRF , urocortin , urocortin II , frog sauvagine, and piscine urotensin I.1 Human urocortin III shares 90, 40, 37, and 21% identity to mouse urocortin III , mouse urocortin II , human urocortin , and mouse urocortin, respectively. Urocortin III selectively binds to type 2 CRF receptors (Kis = 21.7, 13.5, and >100 nM for rat CRF2α, rat CRF2β, and human CRF1, respectively). It stimulates cAMP production in CHO cells expressing rat CRF2α and mouse CRF2β (EC50s = 0.16 and 0.12 nM, respectively) as well as cultured anterior pituitary cells expressing endogenous CRF2β. Urocortin III is co-released with insulin to potentiate glucose-stimulated somatostatin release in vitro in human pancreatic β-cells.2 In vivo, urocortin III reduces food intake in a dose- and time-dependent manner in mice with a minimum effective dose (MED) of 0.3 nmol/animal.3 It increases swimming time in a forced swim test in mice, indicating antidepressant-like activity.4
References1. Lewis, K., Li, C., Perrin, M.H., et al. Identification of urocortin III, an additional member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family with high affinity for the CRF2 receptor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98(13), 7570-7575 (2001).2. van der Meulen, T., Donaldson, C.J., Cáceres, E., et al. Urocortin3 mediates somatostatin-dependent negative feedback control of insulin secretion. Nat. Med. 21(7), 769-776 (2015).3. Pelleymounter, M.A., Joppa, M., Ling, N., et al. Behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of the selective CRF2 receptor agonists urocortin II and urocortin III. Peptides 25(4), 659-666 (2004).4. Tanaka, M., Kádár, K., Tóth, G., et al. Antidepressant-like effects of urocortin 3 fragments. Brain Res. Bull. 84(6), 414-418 (2011).
Urocortin II is a neuropeptide hormone and member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family which includes mammalian CRF , urocortin , urocortin III , frog sauvagine, and piscine urotensin I.1 Mouse urocortin II shares 34 and 42% sequence homology with rat CRF and urocortin . It is expressed in mouse paraventricular, supraoptic, and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus, the locus coeruleus, and in motor nuclei of the brainstem and spinal ventral horn. Urocortin II selectively binds to CRF1 over CRF2 receptors (Kis = 0.66 and >100 nM, respectively) and induces cAMP production in CHO cells expressing CRF2 (EC50 = 0.14 nM). In vivo, urocortin II suppresses nighttime food intake by 35% in rats when administered intracerebroventricularly at a dose of 1 μg. Urocortin II (0.1 and 0.5 μg, i.c.v) stimulates fecal pellet output, increases distal colonic transit, and inhibits gastric emptying in mice.2References1. Reyes, T.M., Lewis, K., Perrin, M.H., et al. Urocortin II: A member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neuropeptide family that is selectively bound by type 2 CRF receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98(5), 2843-2848 (2001).2. Martinez, V., Wang, L., Million, M., et al. Urocortins and the regulation of gastrointestinal motor function and visceral pain. Peptides 25(10), 1733-1744 (2004).
Urocortin II is a neuropeptide hormone and member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family which includes mammalian CRF , urocortin , urocortin III , frog sauvagine, and piscine urotensin I.1 Mouse urocortin II shares 34 and 42% sequence homology with rat CRF and urocortin . It is expressed in mouse paraventricular, supraoptic, and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus, the locus coeruleus, and in motor nuclei of the brainstem and spinal ventral horn. Urocortin II selectively binds to CRF1 over CRF2 receptors (Kis = 0.66 and >100 nM, respectively) and induces cAMP production in CHO cells expressing CRF2 (EC50 = 0.14 nM). In vivo, urocortin II suppresses nighttime food intake by 35% in rats when administered intracerebroventricularly at a dose of 1 μg. Urocortin II (0.1 and 0.5 μg, i.c.v) stimulates fecal pellet output, increases distal colonic transit, and inhibits gastric emptying in mice.2
References1. Reyes, T.M., Lewis, K., Perrin, M.H., et al. Urocortin II: A member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neuropeptide family that is selectively bound by type 2 CRF receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98(5), 2843-2848 (2001).2. Martinez, V., Wang, L., Million, M., et al. Urocortins and the regulation of gastrointestinal motor function and visceral pain. Peptides 25(10), 1733-1744 (2004).