Urocortine

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Urocortins are several peptides consisting of around 40 amino acids that are produced in mammals . They have 45% sequence homology to the Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF). In humans, three urocortins are known that bind to the CRF receptors , they are neurohormones .

The human urocortins are called urocortin (40 amino acids), urocortin-2 (41 amino acids) and urocortin-3 (38 amino acids). Their precursor proteins are encoded by different genes ( UCN , UCN2 , UCN3 ).

In 1995 Vaughan et al. Found a "urotensin-like molecule" related to the CRF in the Edinger Westphal nucleus of the rat brain and named it urocortin. It was subsequently recognized that urocortin is distributed in mammalian organisms and, like CRF, binds agonistically to CRF receptors , albeit with a higher affinity to CRF2 receptors. Hence, it is believed that urocortin is the natural ligand of the CRF2 receptor.

Urocortin stimulates the same G proteins as CRF and therefore has a similar pharmacology.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Donaldson CJ, Sutton SW, Perrin MH, et al. : Cloning and characterization of human urocortin . In: Endocrinology . 137, No. 5, May 1996, pp. 2167-70. PMID 8612563 .
  2. ↑ UniProt P55089 , UniProt Q96RP3 , UniProt Q969E3
  3. ↑ Vaughan J, Donaldson C, Bittencourt J, et al. : Urocortin, a mammalian neuropeptide related to fish urotensin I and to corticotropin-releasing factor . In: Nature . 378, No. 6554, November 1995, pp. 287-92. doi : 10.1038 / 378287a0 . PMID 7477349 .