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Cell. 1998 Mar 6;92(5):1 page following 696.
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J Pharmacol Sci. 2003 Sep;93(1):126-8.
Orexins and orexin receptors: a family of hypothalamic neuropeptides and G protein-coupled receptors that regulate feeding behavior.
Sakurai T,
Amemiya A,
Ishii M,
Matsuzaki I,
Chemelli RM,
Tanaka H,
Williams SC,
Richardson JA,
Kozlowski GP,
Wilson S,
Arch JR,
Buckingham RE,
Haynes AC,
Carr SA,
Annan RS,
McNulty DE,
Liu WS,
Terrett JA,
Elshourbagy NA,
Bergsma DJ,
Yanagisawa M.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75235-9050, USA.
The hypothalamus plays a central role in the integrated control of feeding and energy homeostasis. We have identified two novel neuropeptides, both derived from the same precursor by proteolytic processing, that bind and activate two closely related (previously) orphan G protein-coupled receptors. These peptides, termed orexin-A and -B, have no significant structural similarities to known families of regulatory peptides. prepro-orexin mRNA and immunoreactive orexin-A are localized in neurons within and around the lateral and posterior hypothalamus in the adult rat brain. When administered centrally to rats, these peptides stimulate food consumption. prepro-orexin mRNA level is up-regulated upon fasting, suggesting a physiological role for the peptides as mediators in the central feedback mechanism that regulates feeding behavior.
PMID: 9491897 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]