Localization and physiological roles of urocortin.
Urocortin, a 40 amino acid peptide, is a corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) related peptide, and can bind to all three types of CRF receptors (CRF type 1, type 2a and type 2b receptors) with higher affinities for these receptors than CRF. Immunoreactivity of urocortin is widely distributed in central nervous, digestive, cardiovascular, reproductive, immune and endocrine systems. Urocortin plays important roles in appetite-suppression, immunomodulation, steroidogenesis in the ovary, maintenance of the placental function, labor, and cardioprotection via CRF receptors. Although urocortin has potent adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) releasing activity in vitro, endogenous urocortin does not act on pituitary ACTH secretion in vivo.
Department of Medicine, Second Division, School of Medicine, Hamamatsu University, 1-20-1 Handayama, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan. okitaka@hama-med.ac.jp
Yutaka
Y
Oki
Hironobu
H
Sasano
D000818:Animals; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D054832:Urocortins
D054832:Urocortins; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone