title: Agouti-related maturation and tissue distribution of alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone in wild-type (AwJ/AwJ) and mutant (Ay/a,a/a) mice.
abstract: Because of ectopic overproduction of agouti protein, yellow alleles (A(y) and A(vy)) of the murine agouti gene may secondarily modulate the synthesis, maturation (i.e., acetylation), and/or tissue deployment of alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH). We used HPLC to test the hypothesis that A(y)/a mice exhibit altered concentrations of desacetyl-, monoacetyl-, and diacetyl-alpha-MSH in pituitaries, sera, and telogen hair bulbs when compared to black (a/a) mice. We also used RIA to measure total MSH in those same tissues of A(y)a,a/a, and white-bellied agouti (A(wJ)/A(wJ)) mice (Strain C57BL/6J). We found no evidence that A(y)/a mice possessed an imbalance of des-, mono-, and diacetylated alpha-MSH species. However, radioimmunoassay (RIA) analyses of total MSH suggest that wild-type agouti mice (A(wJ)/A(wJ)) exhibited significantly decreased (P < 0.05) tissue levels of total alpha-MSH in pituitaries, sera, and regenerating hair bulbs when compared to those of mutant A(y)/a and a/a mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology/Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings 57007, USA.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Monroe
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Wipf
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Diggins
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Matthees
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Granholm
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D054366:Agouti Signaling Protein; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009154:Mutation; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D054366:Agouti Signaling Protein; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; C515183:a protein, mouse; D000521:alpha-MSH