In the last two decades, our knowledge on regulatory peptides and their cognate receptors, most of which are members of the seven transmembrane receptor families, has increased enormously. Regulatory peptides are small proteins which, besides their hormonal functions in regulating cellular metabolism in various tissues, may also act as neurotransmitters, and thus they often carry the prefix "neuro". Many of the cognate receptors involved in transducing the peptidergic signal across the cell membrane via a familiy of G proteins exist in multiple forms, the number of which frequently exceeds that of the corresponding peptide ligands. In this book, various peptide-receptor systems are discussed, e.g CRF, somatostatin, TRH, opioid peptides, vasopressin, and oxytocin. It also discusses new strategies such as "reverse physiology" to uncover new peptides and orphan receptors.

Inhalt

The 'chicken and egg' problem of the co-evolution of peptides and their cognate receptors: which came first?.- Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH), the TRH-receptor and the TRH-degrading ectoenzyme; three elements of a peptidergic signalling system.- Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) and its role in the central nervous system.- CRF and CRF receptors.- Neural oxytocinergic systems as genomic targets for hormones and as modulators of hormone-dependent behaviours.- Vasopressin receptors: structural-functional relationships and role in neural and endocrine regulation.- The oxytocin receptor.- Targeted mutagenesis of the murine opioid system.- Orphan receptors and the concept of reverse physiology: discovery of the novel neuropeptide orphanin FQ/Nociceptin.- Molecular biology of the receptors for somatostatin and cortistatin.- Novel neurotransmitters for sleep and energy homeostasis.- Galanin and galanin receptors.- Function of the neuropeptide head activator for early neural and neuroendocrine development.- Invertebrate neurohormones and their receptors.-