title: Convulsant peptides related to corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF).
abstract: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and its related peptides have some conserved primary regions. We have taken an interest in the characteristic conserved sequence, Pro-Pro-Ile-Ser, which is located in the proximal N-terminal region of the CRF family. This sequence is not included in any other biologically active peptide and protein. Biological function of this N-terminal region has not become known yet. We synthesized seventeen peptide fragments of human CRF and sauvagine which involved either this entire N-terminal sequence or part of it and determined their behavioural effect after intracerebroventricular injections to mice. Several peptides which included the Pro-Pro-Ile region as the N-terminal segment and their caused a transient convulsion dose-dependently. H-Pro-Pro-Ile-OH (human CRF(4-6)) exhibited the strongest effect among these active peptides. However, these convulsant peptides did not affect the secretion of immunoreactive corticotropin in rats.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomizu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003292:Convulsants / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D051379:Mice; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D003292:Convulsants; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone