The Cloning of a Family of Genes that Encode the Melanocortin Receptors

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 257; no. 5074; pp. 1248 - 1251
• Main Authors: Mountjoy, Kathleen G., Robbins, Linda S., Mortrud, Marty T., Cone, Roger D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 28.08.1992
• Subjects: ACTH; Adrenal cortex; Adrenal Cortex - metabolism; Amino Acid Sequence; Amino acids; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Northern; Cell lines; Cloning; Cloning, Molecular; Corticotropin; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes. Genome; Genetic vectors; GTP-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Hormone receptors; Humans; Intermedin; Melanocortin receptors; Melanocyte stimulating hormone; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones - physiology; Melanocytes; Melanocytes - metabolism; Melanoma; Messenger RNA; Mice; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors; Receptors, Corticotropin; Receptors, Pituitary Hormone - biosynthesis; Receptors, Pituitary Hormone - genetics; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Human; MSH; Peptide hormone; Rodentia; Sequence alignment; ACTH; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Adenohypophyseal hormone; Gene; Mouse; Molecular cloning; Hormonal receptor
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1325670

Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) regulate pigmentation and adrenal cortical function, respectively. These peptides also have a variety of biological activities in other areas, including the brain, the pituitary, and the immune system. A complete understanding of the biological activities of these hormones requires the isolation and characterization of their corresponding receptors. The murine and human MSH receptors (MSH-Rs) and a human ACTH receptor (ACTH-R) were cloned. These receptors define a subfamily of receptors coupled to guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that may include the cannabinoid receptor.