Melanocortin Signalling Mechanisms
Melanocortin Signalling Mechanisms
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DOI：
10.1007/978-1-4419-6354-3_2
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Haycock, John W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Eves, Paula C.;Haycock, John W.
黑素皮质素家族是一系列非常有效的神经肽，源于亲本促黑素皮质素分子（POMC）。它们主要在大脑中表达，特别是在脑垂体和中枢神经系统中。有趣的是，最近的研究还表明，在大脑之外，在广泛的外周组织中也存在调节功能。POMC的组织特异性蛋白水解裂解产生了几种具有不同功能的重要黑素皮质素肽，产生包括ACTH和α - msh在内的肽。多年来，a-MSH被公认的主要功能是能够刺激皮肤的黑素细胞生成色素。然而，一些与黑色素形成无关的平行功能已经在文献中描述了几年。在1992年黑素皮质素受体的发现和克隆之后，人们对这项工作有了更全面的了解，这使得人们认识到黑素皮质素肽的许多更广泛的作用。对某一特定受体亚型表达的组织的了解现在可以与功能性下游研究相结合。从这些研究中，我们知道α - msh在控制炎症和免疫调节方面具有非常重要的作用，其他作用包括控制能量稳态和外分泌，触发勃起功能和控制性行为的能力。本章将简要回顾黑素皮质素系统和黑素皮质素受体，重点关注a- msh的关键信号机制以及这些受体如何通过功能连接。
The melanocortin family are a series of very potent neuropeptides that derive from a parent propopiomelanocortin molecule (POMC). They are expressed predominantly in the brain, specifically the pituitary gland and also in the central nervous system. Interestingly, recent research also suggests the existence of regulatory functions outside of the brain, in a wide range of peripheral tissues. Several important melanocortin peptides with differing functions are created by the tissue-specific proteolytic cleavage of POMC, generating peptides including ACTH and alpha-MSH. For many years the major recognised function of a-MSH was an ability to stimulate melanocyte cells of the skin to pigment. However, a number of parallel functions unrelated to melanogenesis have been described in the literature for several years. A more complete understanding of this work arose after the discovery and cloning of the melanocortin receptors in 1992, which lead to the recognition of many wider roles of the melanocortin peptides. The knowledge of the tissue in which a given receptor subtype was expressed could now be combined with functional downstream studies. From these studies, we know that alpha-MSH has a very significant role in controlling inflammation and immunomodulation, with other roles including control over energy homeostasis and exocrine secretion, an ability to trigger erectile functions and the control of sexual behaviour. This chapter will briefly review the melanocortin system and melanocortin receptors, with a focus on the key signalling mechanisms of a-MSH and how these link receptors through to function.