The melanotropin peptides are a group of neural and hormonal peptides which includes a-, b-, and gmelanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
They are referred
to collectively as the melanotropin (or the synonymical...
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The melanotropin peptides are a group of neural and hormonal peptides which includes a-, b-, and gmelanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
They are referred
to collectively as the melanotropin (or the synonymical melanocortin) peptides because they are
derived from the same gene and pro-hormone (pro-opiomelanocortin) and share an identical core
amino acid sequence, His-Phe-Arg-Trp, recognized to be important for receptor binding and
activation.
There are five known melanocortin receptor (MCR) subtypes, all of which belong to the family of
seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), and whose activation is linked to the
generation of intracellular cAMP.
Importantly, the interaction of the melanocortin peptides with their
receptors can be modified by two endogenous protein antagonists, agouti, and agouti-related protein,
which are the products of two distinct genes.
Tissue-specific processing of the pro-opiomelanocortin
precursor coupl
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