Oxytocine

What protected ammo acid would you anchor to the solid support m the first step of a syn thesis of oxytocin (see Figure 27 8) by the Memfield method" ... 

The principal hormones of the human posterior pituitary include the two nonapeptides, oxytocin [50-56-6] and arginine vasopressin [11000-17-2] (antidiuretic hormone, ADH). Many other hormones, including opioid peptides (see Opioids, endogenous), cholecystokinin [9011-97-6] (CCK) (see Hormones, BRAIN oligopeptides), and gastrointestinal peptides, also have been located in mammalian neurohypophysis (6), but are usually found in much lower concentrations (7). Studies have demonstrated that oxytocin and vasopressin are synthesized in other human organs, both centrally and peripherally, and there is considerable evidence for their role as neurotransmitters (see Neuroregulators) (8). 

Fig. 1. Stmcture of oxytocin and arginine vasopressin. Numbers indicate approximate location of amino acids sequences found in Table 1. A, oxytocin B,...

Hundreds of analogues of both oxytocin and vasopressin have been synthesized, and the conformations of many of these have been studied (22,23). 

Table 2. Synthetic Analogues of Oxytocin with High Potency or Selectivity...

Table 4. Synthetic Analogues of Oxytocin and Vasopressin Having Antagonist Activities...

Oxytocin and Vasopressin Receptors. The actions of oxytocin and vasopressin are mediated through their interactions with receptors. Different receptor types as well as different second messenger responses help explain their diverse activities in spite of the hormones stmctural similarities. Thus oxytocin has at least one separate receptor and vasopressin has been shown to have two principal receptor types, and V2. Subclasses of these receptors have been demonstrated, and species differences further compHcate experimental analysis. It is apparent that both oxytocin and receptors function through the GP/1 phosphoHpase C complex (75), while the V2 receptors activate cycHc AMP (76). 

Several human receptors for the neurohypophyseal hormones have been cloned and the sequences elucidated. The human V2 receptor for antidiuretic hormone presumably contains 371 amino acids and seven transmembrane segments and activates cycHc AMP (76). The oxytocin receptor is a classic G-protein-coupled type of receptor with a proposed membrane topography also involving seven transmembrane components (84). A schematic representation of the oxytocin receptor stmcture within the membrane is shown in Eigure 4 (85). 

Fig. 4. Representation of proposed topography of human oxytocin receptor (85) where CHO represents carbohydrate.

D. Ganttei and D. Pfaff, eds., Neurohiology of Oxytocin, Spriagei-Vedag, Berha, 1986. 

Disulfides. As shown in Figure 4, the and h-chains of insulin are connected by two disulfide bridges and there is an intrachain cycHc disulfide link on the -chain (see Insulin and other antidiabetic drugs). Vasopressin [9034-50-8] and oxytocin [50-56-6] also contain disulfide links (48). Oxidation of thiols to disulfides and reduction of the latter back to thiols are quite common and important in biological systems, eg, cysteine to cystine or reduced Hpoic acid to oxidized Hpoic acid. Many enzymes depend on free SH groups for activation—deactivation reactions. The oxidation—reduction of glutathione (Glu-Cys-Gly) depends on the sulfhydryl group from cysteine. 

Vasopressin and Oxytocin. Arginine -vasopressin (AVP, vasopressia also known as antidiuretic hormone, ADH) (342) is a nonapeptide amide that functions both as a neuroregulator and a hormone (84,85). Oxytocia (OT) (343) is a nonapeptide amide related to AVP. 

Table 20. Vasopressin and Oxytocin and Receptor Agonists and Antagonists...

OT receptors are localized ia the brain hypothalamus, limbic system, cortex, striatum, olfactory system, and brain stem. In the periphery, OT is best known for its stimulation of uterine smooth muscle and the milk ejection reflex. Thr , Om ]oxytocin(l—8),... 

Oxytocin [50-56-6] M 1007.2, m dec on heating, [a] -26.2"(c 0.53, N AcOH). A cyclic nonapeptide which was purified by countercurrent distribution between solvent and buffer. It is soluble in H2O, rt-BuOH and isoBuOH. [Bodanszky and du Vigneaud J Am Chem Soc 81 2504 1959 Cash et al. J Med Pharm Chem 5 413 1962 Sakakibara et al. Bull Chem Soc Jpn 38 120 1965 solid phase synthesis Bayer and... 

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