Proopiomelanocortin molecules

ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone, corticotropin) is a 39-amino-acid peptide synthesized and secreted by the corticotrope cells of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. ACTH acts on several target tissues, including the adrenal cortex, adipose tissue and brain. It is synthesized as part of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) as amino acids 132-170 of this molecule, which is proteolytically cleaved to produce ACTH [1],... 

ACTH is derived from a large polypeptide precursor, proopiomelanocortin (POMC) that also includes in its amino acid sequence both MSH and the related opiate -lipotropin (y3-LPH), the latter giving rise to the biologically active )3-endorphin (Mains and Eipper, 1980). POMC, a 31 kDa polypeptide, is synthesized in the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary gland, which is the most important source of this prohormone. Other notable sources of POMC synthesis in the brain include the amygdala and the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (Watson and Akil, 1980 Civelli et al., 1982). In addition, the structure of the POMC molecule, the POMC gene and the mRNA sequence for POMC have been elucidated (Roberts... 

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