OBJECTIVE Regulation of energy balance depends on pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides and melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R). Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is the predicted natural POMC-derived peptide that regulates energy balance. Desacetyl-α-MSH, the precursor for α-MSH, is present in brain and blood. Desacetyl-α-MSH is considered to be unimportant for regulating energy b...

Using the indirect immunohistochemical approach the occurrence of gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH)-like immunoreactivity in neutrophilic granulocytes is described.

Melanocytes in the skin are derived from the embryonic neural crest. Recently, mutations in endothelin 3 and the endothelin receptor B genes have been shown to result in gross pigment defects, indicating that this signalling pathway is required for melanocyte development. We have examined the effects of endothelins on melanocyte progenitors in cultures of mouse neural crest. Firstly, they stimu...

Cholera toxin (choleragen) and melanocyte stimulating hormone alter within hours the morphology of melanoma cells in culture, and they slow the growth of serum-stimulated cells. After 7-10 days, cells exposed to choleragen or hormone show increased size and a fibroblastic growth pattern. Tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1; monophenol monooxygenase) activity increases after 3 days in the presence of 10(-8...

The preputial glands in the rat are large modified sebaceous glands, which are believed to be the source of a sex pheromone (Gawienowski et al., 1975). Their main secretory product is neutral lipid, which contains an unusually high proportion of squalene as well as wax esters and glyceryl ether lipids (Nicolaides, 1965; Helmy & Hack, 1967). Like cutaneous sebaceous glands their secretion is hol...