Urocortin

Urocortin
Identifiers
Symbols	UCN ; MGC129974; MGC129975; UI; UROC
External IDs	Template:OMIM5 Template:MGI HomoloGene: 2515
Gene ontology Molecular function Template:GNF GO Cellular component Template:GNF GO Biological process Template:GNF GO
RNA expression pattern
File:PBB GE UCN 206072 at tn.png
More reference expression data
Orthologs
Template:GNF Ortholog box
Species	Human	Mouse
Entrez	n/a	n/a
Ensembl	n/a	n/a
UniProt	n/a	n/a
RefSeq (mRNA)	n/a	n/a
RefSeq (protein)	n/a	n/a
Location (UCSC)	n/a	n/a
PubMed search	n/a	n/a

Urocortin, also known as UCN, is a human gene. This gene is a member of the sauvagine/corticotropin-releasing factor/urotensin I family. It is structurally related to the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) gene and the encoded product is an endogenous ligand for CRF type 2 receptors. In the brain it may be responsible for the effects of stress on appetite. In spite of the gene family name similarity, the product of this gene has no sequence similarity to urotensin II. Urocortin is a potent anorexigenic peptide of 40 amino acids that induces fed-like motor activity when administered centrally or peripherally in fasted animals. Urocortin belongs to the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family that includes CRF, urotensin I, sauvagine, urocortin II and urocortin III. Urocortin is also a potent and long-lasting hypotensive agent and increases coronary blood flow.

Further reading

• Inui, Bowers, et al. Ghrelin, appetite, and gastric motility: the emerging role of the stomach as an endocrine organ. FASEB J. 2004 Mar;18(3):439-56. PMID: 15003990
• Huang Y, Yao XQ, Lau CW, Chan YC, Tsang SY, Chan FL. Urocortin and cardiovascular protection. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2004 Mar;25(3):257-65.
• Takahashi, Kazuhiro. Translational medicine in fish-derived peptides: From fish endocrinology to human physiology and diseases. Endocrine Journal (Kyoto, Japan) (2004), 51(1), 1-17.
• Tsarev OB (1977). "[Dynamics of matrix synthesis in molecular biophysics. II. Principle of insertability and the single-valued solution of feedback tasks]". Biofizika. 22 (2): 197–200. PMID 861256.
• Donaldson CJ, Sutton SW, Perrin MH; et al. (1996). "Cloning and characterization of human urocortin". Endocrinology. 137 (5): 2167–70. PMID 8612563.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Adachi T, Schamel WW, Kim KM; et al. (1996). "The specificity of association of the IgD molecule with the accessory proteins BAP31/BAP29 lies in the IgD transmembrane sequence". EMBO J. 15 (7): 1534–41. PMID 8612576.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Iino K, Sasano H, Oki Y; et al. (1997). "Urocortin expression in human pituitary gland and pituitary adenoma". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 82 (11): 3842–50. PMID 9360550.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Gottowik J, Goetschy V, Henriot S; et al. (1998). "Labelling of CRF1 and CRF2 receptors using the novel radioligand, [3H]-urocortin". Neuropharmacology. 36 (10): 1439–46. PMID 9423932.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Bamberger CM, Wald M, Bamberger AM; et al. (1998). "Human lymphocytes produce urocortin, but not corticotropin-releasing hormone". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83 (2): 708–11. PMID 9467598.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Takahashi K, Totsune K, Sone M; et al. (1998). "Regional distribution of urocortin-like immunoreactivity and expression of urocortin mRNA in the human brain". Peptides. 19 (4): 643–7. PMID 9622018.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Zhao L, Donaldson CJ, Smith GW, Vale WW (1999). "The structures of the mouse and human urocortin genes (Ucn and UCN)". Genomics. 50 (1): 23–33. doi:10.1006/geno.1998.5292. PMID 9628819.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Iino K, Sasano H, Oki Y; et al. (1999). "Urocortin expression in the human central nervous system". Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf). 50 (1): 107–14. PMID 10341863.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Watanabe F, Oki Y, Ozawa M; et al. (1999). "Urocortin in human placenta and maternal plasma". Peptides. 20 (2): 205–9. PMID 10422876.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Slominski A, Roloff B, Curry J; et al. (2000). "The skin produces urocortin". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 85 (2): 815–23. PMID 10690896.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Muramatsu Y, Fukushima K, Iino K; et al. (2001). "Urocortin and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor expression in the human colonic mucosa". Peptides. 21 (12): 1799–809. PMID 11150640.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Muramatsu Y, Sugino N, Suzuki T; et al. (2001). "Urocortin and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor expression in normal cycling human ovaries". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 86 (3): 1362–9. PMID 11238533.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Hsu SY, Hsueh AJ (2001). "Human stresscopin and stresscopin-related peptide are selective ligands for the type 2 corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor". Nat. Med. 7 (5): 605–11. doi:10.1038/87936. PMID 11329063.
• Lewis K, Li C, Perrin MH; et al. (2001). "Identification of urocortin III, an additional member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family with high affinity for the CRF2 receptor". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98 (13): 7570–5. doi:10.1073/pnas.121165198. PMID 11416224.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Kimura Y, Takahashi K, Totsune K; et al. (2002). "Expression of urocortin and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor subtypes in the human heart". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 87 (1): 340–6. PMID 11788672.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Florio P, Arcuri F, Ciarmela P; et al. (2002). "Identification of urocortin mRNA and peptide in the human endometrium". J. Endocrinol. 173 (2): R9–14. PMID 12010647.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Arcuri F, Cintorino M, Florio P; et al. (2002). "Expression of urocortin mRNA and peptide in the human prostate and in prostatic adenocarcinoma". Prostate. 52 (3): 167–72. doi:10.1002/pros.10094. PMID 12111693.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Ikeda K, Tojo K, Oki Y, Nakao K (2002). "Urocortin has cell-proliferative effects on cardiac non-myocytes". Life Sci. 71 (16): 1929–38. PMID 12175707.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH; et al. (2003). "Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99 (26): 16899–903. doi:10.1073/pnas.242603899. PMID 12477932.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)