title: The leech excitatory peptide, a member of the GGNG peptide family: isolation and comparison with the earthworm GGNG peptides.
abstract: A member of the GGNG peptide family was isolated from Hirudo nipponia (leech). GGNG peptides had only been isolated previously from earthworms. The C-terminus structure of the leech peptide, LEP (leech excitatory peptide), was -Gly-Gly-Asn-amide, while that of the earthworm peptides, EEP (earthworm excitatory peptide), was -Gly-Gly-Asn-Gly. LEP exerted 1000-fold more potent activities on leech gut than did EEP-2. On the other hand, EEP-2 was 1000-fold more potent than LEP on the crop-gizzard of the earthworm. Analog peptides of LEP and EEP-2 were synthesized, and the myoactive potency of each analog on the leech and earthworm tissues was compared.
authors.affiliation: Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research, Osaka, Japan. 090481@308.mail.suntory.co.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minakata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagahama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oumi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ukena
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Matsushima
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muneoka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomoto
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D007865:Leeches / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000737:chemistry; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C107510:leech excitatory peptide, Hirudo nipponia