title: Alarin is a vasoactive peptide.
abstract: Galanin-like peptide (GALP) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide belonging to the galanin family of peptides. The GALP gene is characterized by extensive differential splicing in a variety of murine tissues. One splice variant excludes exon 3 and results in a frame shift leading to a novel peptide sequence and a stop codon after 49 aa. In this peptide, which we termed alarin, the signal sequence of the GALP precursor peptide and the first 5 aa of the mature GALP are followed by 20 aa without homology to any other murine protein. Alarin mRNA was detected in murine brain, thymus, and skin. In accordance with its vascular localization, the peptide exhibited potent and dose-dependent vasoconstrictor and anti-edema activity in the cutaneous microvasculature, as was also observed with other members of the galanin peptide family. However, in contrast to galanin peptides in general, the physiological effects of alarin do not appear to be mediated via the known galanin receptors. Alarin adds another facet to the surprisingly high-functional redundancy of the galanin family of peptides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, Muellner-Hauptstrasse 48, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Radmila
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santic
authors.forename: Sabine M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Schmidhuber
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rauch
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Voglas
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eberhard
authors.forename: Johann W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Susan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Brain
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kofler
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D020405:Dermis / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004487:Edema / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D016368:Frameshift Mutation; D044089:Galanin-Like Peptide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000166:cytology; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D044089:Galanin-Like Peptide; D010455:Peptides; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014665:Vasodilator Agents