Corticotropin-releasing factor family , CRF family is a family of related neuropeptides in vertebrates . This family includes corticotropin-releasing hormone (also known as CRF), urotensin -I, urocortin , and sauvagine . The family can be grouped into 2 separate paralogous lineages, with urotensin-I, urocortin and sauvagine in one group and CRH forming the other group. Urocortin and sauvagine appear to represent orthologues of fish urotensin-I in mammals and amphibians, respectively. The peptides have a variety of physiological effects on stress and anxiety , vasoregulation, thermoregulation , growth and metabolism, metamorphosis and reproduction in various species, and are all released as prohormones .[ 1] Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)[ 2] releasing hormone found mainly in the paraventricular nucleus of the mammalian hypothalamus that regulates the release of corticotropin (ACTH) from the pituitary gland . The paraventricular nucleus transports CRH to the anterior pituitary , stimulating adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release via CRH type 1 receptors , thereby activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and, thus, glucocorticoid release.
CRH is evolutionary-related to a number of other active peptides. Urocortin acts in vitro to stimulate the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone . Urotensin is found in the teleost caudal neurosecretory system and may play a role in osmoregulation and as a corticotropin-releasing factor. Urotensin-I is released from the urophysis of fish, and produces ACTH and subsequent cortisol release in vivo. The nonhormonal portion of the prohormone is thought to be the urotensin binding protein (urophysin).[citation needed Sauvagine , isolated from frog skin, has a potent hypotensive and antidiuretic effect.[ 3] [ 4]
Subfamilies Human proteins from this family CRH ; UCN ;
References
↑ Balment RJ, Lovejoy DA (1999). "Evolution and physiology of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family of neuropeptides in vertebrates". Gen. Comp. Endocrinol . 115 (1): 1–22. doi :10.1006/gcen.1999.7298 . PMID 10375459 . ↑ Lederis KP, Okawara Y, Richter D, Morley SD (1990). "Evolutionary aspects of corticotropin releasing hormones". Prog. Clin. Biol. Res . 342 : 467–472. PMID 2200028 . ↑ Vale, Wylie; Rivier, Catherine; Brown, Marvin R.; Spies, Joachim; Koob, George; Swanson, Larry; Bilezikjian, Louise; Bloom, Floyd; Rivier, Jean (1983). "Chemical and Biological Characterization of Corticotropin Releasing Factor" . Proceedings of the 1982 Laurentian Hormone Conference . Vol. 39. pp. 245–270. doi :10.1016/B978-0-12-571139-5.50010-0 . ISBN 978-0-12-571139-5 PMID 6314446 . ↑ Erspamer, V.; Erspamer, G. Falconieri; Improta, G.; Negri, L.; de Castiglione, R. (July 1980). "Sauvagine, a new polypeptide from Phyllomedusa sauvagei skin: Occurrence in various phyllomedusa species and pharmacological actions on rat blood pressure and diuresis". Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology . 312 (3): 265–270. doi :10.1007/BF00499156 . PMID 7402368 . S2CID 22509929 .