Red pigment-concentrating hormone

Such structural homology is shown by the AKH/red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH) family (S) and the myotropic neuropeptide family (S). As separation and characterization occur, e factors are assigned chemical and/or structural identity and, in the case of peptides, become identified by amino acid sequences. It is not suprising that a nomenclature standard has been proposed (M) to catalog the burgeoning number of reported sequences. 

Both of these peptides exhibited considerable sequence identity with the locust adipokinetic hormone (Lom-AKH-I) and the crustacean red pigment-concentrating hormone (RPCH), as had been suggested by chromatographic behavior, N-terminal analysis, and amino acid analysis (3,4). Indeed, both peptides were shown to be far more potent as stimulators of hyperglycaemia than as myotropins (3). 

Since these initial reports, numerous peptides have been described for what is now recognized as the insect adipokinetic/red pigment-concentrating hormone (AKH/RPCH) family. The first representative of this family isolated and characterized from insects was the L, migratoria adipokinetic hormone (I m-AKH-I)... 

Lom-AKH-I was found to be related to the red pigment-concentrating hormone (RPCH) that had been described previously from crustaceans (9). Subsequendy, two... 

The similarity of the crustacean blanching substance (Factor A) found in crustacean sinus glands and insect corpora cardiaca has been confirmed by the structural identification of a family of neuropeptides common to arthropods. The first identified member of this family is RPCH (red pigment concentrating hormone), an octapeptide (pGlu-Leu-Asn-Phe-Ser-Pro-Gly-Trp-amide) isolated from eyestalks of the shrimp Pandalus borealis (28). Shortly thereafter, a related peptide--designated as adipokinetic hormone (AKH)--was purified from locust... 

Davenport, T. R. B., Isaac, R. E. and Lee, D. L. (1991) The presence of peptides related to the adipokinetic hormone/red pigment concentrating hormone family in the nematode, Panagrellus redivivus. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 81 419-425. 

AKH/RPCH is the abbreviation for adipokinetic hormone/red pigment concentrating hormone. 

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