Expanding the scales: The multiple roles of MCH in regulating energy balance and other biological functions.
Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a cyclic peptide originally identified as a 17-amino-acid circulating hormone in teleost fish, where it is secreted by the pituitary in response to stress and environmental stimuli. In fish, MCH lightens skin color by stimulating aggregation of melanosomes, pigment-containing granules in melanophores, cells of neuroectodermal origin found in fish scales. Although the peptide structure between fish and mammals is highly conserved, in mammals, MCH has no demonstrable effects on pigmentation; instead, based on a series of pharmacological and genetic experiments, MCH has emerged as a critical hypothalamic regulator of energy homeostasis, having effects on both feeding behavior and energy expenditure.
Pissios
Pavlos
P
Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Bradley
Richard L
RL
Maratos-Flier
Eleftheria
E
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D008543:Melanins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*
D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones; D008543:Melanins; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; C019463:melanin-concentrating hormone