Identification in the human central nervous system, pituitary, and thyroid of a novel calcitonin gene-related peptide, and partial amino acid sequence in the spinal cord.
Two human genes encoding precursors for two calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP) I (or alpha) and II (or beta) have been identified (Steenbergh, P. H., Höppener, J. W. M., Zandberg, J., Lips, C. J. M., and Jansz, H. S. (1985) FEBS Lett. 183, 403-407). The amino acid sequence of CGRP-I was obtained in medullary thyroid carcinoma extracts (Morris, H. R., Panico, M., Etienne, T., Tippins, J., Girgis, S. I., and MacIntyre, I. (1984) Nature 308, 746-748), but not in normal human tissues. The human CGRP-II peptide remained to be discovered. Here we have determined in the human spinal cord the amino acid composition and the partial amino acid sequence of the DNA-predicted CGRP-I and -II. The data indicate for the first time the existence of a second CGRP different from the known CGRP-I. CGRP-II has been identified in the central nervous system, pituitary, thyroid, and in medullary thyroid carcinoma as a major CGRP form together with CGRP-I.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000032:analysis*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000032:analysis*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000032:analysis*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000032:analysis*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis*
D000596:Amino Acids; D009479:Neuropeptides; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide