1. Maleic anhydride was shown to react rapidly and specifically with amino groups of proteins and peptides. Complete substitution of chymotrypsinogen was achieved under mild conditions and the extent of reaction could be readily determined from the spectrum of the maleyl-protein. 2. Maleyl-proteins are generally soluble and disaggregated at neutral pH. Trypsin splits the blocked proteins only a...

© 2012 The Authors. doi: 10.2340/00015555-1235 Journal Compilation © 2012 Acta Dermato-Venereologica. ISSN 0001-5555 Sir, We read with interest the article by von Bartenwerffer et al. (1) about a deeply tanned patient who exhibited multiple white macules on his skin after self-application of an alleged synthetic alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) analogue. The names “afamelanotide”, “...

Ashy deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were first discovered about 1960 in a wild population from Oregon. Although indistinguishable from the wild type at weaning, ashy deer mice become progressively grayer with subsequent molts. The trait is inherited as an autosomal recessive and the symbol ahy is assigned for the locus. The trait is distinctly manifest by 6 months of age, at which time homo...

An analysis of the factors that influence the increase in plasma immunoreactive beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (beta-MSH) concentration in chronic renal failure showed that: (a) the increase correlated with the increase in serum creatinine concentrations; (b) beta-MSH was not cleared from the plasma by haemodialysis; (c) beta-MSH concentrations increased with length of time on dialysis and...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE α-Melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is an endogenously produced neuropeptide derived from the same precursor as adrenocorticotropic hormone. α-MSH has profound immunomodulatory properties and may also be neuroprotective. Nothing is known about α-MSH and changes in its plasma concentrations in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS In this prospective observat...

The hormones secreted by intermediate lobe or middle lobe of pituitary gland are called melanocyte stimulating hormones or MSH. POMC is the precursor molecule which is cleaved by proteases to give ACTH and β-lipotropin. The ACHT is further cleaved to β-MSH which has 13 amino acids. There is also α-MSH which is present in larger quantities. Amino acids 11-17 of β-MSH are common to both α-MSH and...

Combined acute renal and pulmonary failure has a very high mortality. In animals, lung injury develops after shock, or visceral or renal ischemia. -Melanocyte stimulating hormone ( MSH) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine which inhibits inflammatory, apoptotic, and cytotoxic pathways implicated in acute renal injury. We sought to determine if -MSH inhibits acute lung injury following renal ischemi...

Alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent in many models of inflammation, suggesting that it inhibits a critical step common to different forms of inflammation. We showed previously that alpha-MSH inhibits nitric oxide (NO) production in cultured macro-phages. To determine how alpha-MSH acts in vivo, we induced acute hepatic inflammation by administering end...

The structures of the altered alpha-melanotropin (alpha MSH or alpha-N-acetyl-ACTH(1-13)NH2)-related molecules produced by cultured rat intermediate pituitary cells were investigated. Peptide analyses demonstrated that the alpha MSH-related molecules produced by acutely prepared intermediate pituitary cells were primarily des-, mono-, and diacetylated ACTH(1-13)NH2; in contrast, longer term cul...