Adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-like and alpha-melanotropin (alpha-MSH)-like peptides have been localized to a subpopulation of cytoplasmic (secretory) granules of human antropyloric gastric cells and of fetal and neoplastic gastrin cells. These granules also store gastrin and belong to the electron-dense variety of gastrin cell granules. Gastrin cells also contain granules of low to medium electron...

ACTH and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) are both consecutively processed from proopiomelanocortin (POMC), which is synthesized in hypothalamic arcuate neurons innervating the paraventricular nuclei (PVN). POMC secretion/synthesis is regulated by energy availability. ACTH and alpha-MSH bind with equal affinity to melanocortin-4 receptors and elicit similar effects on signal tra...

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-a) underlies pathological processes and functional disturbances in acute and chronic neurological disease and injury. The neuroimmunomodulatory peptide a-MSH modulates actions and production of proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-a, but there is no prior evidence that it alters TNF-a induced within the brain. To test for this potential influence of the peptide, TN...

The skin including the microvascular endothelium is an established peripheral source and target of the immunomodulatory proopiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides ACTH and alpha-MSH. Whereas intracellular POMC peptide generation is well characterized, less is known on their extracellular processing in peripheral tissues by the neuropeptide-specific zinc metalloproteases neprilysin (NEP) and angiotensi...

Presenter: Manuel Castillo-Angeles MD, MPH | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Background: Healthcare for racial minorities is densely concentrated within a small subset of hospitals in the United States. Understanding outcomes at these minority-serving (MSH) highly relevant to study disparities cancer care. Health treatment pancreatic have been reported based on race and ethnicity, socioeco...

The effect of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) on the release of immunoreactive alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) from the superfused neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary of the normal Wistar and Brattleboro (diabetes insipidus) rat was studied in vitro. In control experiments, there was usually an initial peak, after which alpha-MSH release fell exponentially over the course of the...

Suppression of collagen synthesis is a major therapeutic goal in treatment of fibrotic disorders. We show here that alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), a neuropeptide well known for its pigment-inducing capacity, modulates collagen synthesis and deposition. AlphaMSH in vitro suppresses the synthesis of collagen type I, III and V and down-regulates the secretion of procollagen type...

Melanocortin peptides and at least two subtypes of melanocortin receptors (MC3-R and MC4-R) are present in brain regions involved in cardiovascular regulation. In urethaneanesthetized rats, unilateral microinjection of a-melanocytestimulating hormone (MSH) into the medullary dorsal–vagal complex (DVC) causes dose-dependent (125–250 pmol) hypotension and bradycardia, whereas g-MSH is less effect...

The human melanocortin-1 (MC1) receptor was stably expressed in the amelanotic mouse melanoma cell clone B16-G4F which does not express its own (mouse) MC1 receptor and hence is unresponsive to alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha MSH). From several stable transfectant cell lines expressing the human MC1 receptor in relatively high numbers, three melanin producing clones (G4F-12, 14, and...

The control of body fat is a prominent factor in human health. Animal studies have indicated a homeostatic central nervous system regulation of body fat with particular involvement of the melanocortin receptor pathway. This study provides evidence for a similar role for melanocortins in the long-term control of fat stores in humans. Thirty-six normal weight humans were assigned to one of three ...