OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of the sensory neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in peripheral sensitization in experimental models of osteoarthritis (OA) pain. METHODS Experimental knee OA was induced in rats by intraarticular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) or by transection of the medial meniscus (MMT). Single-unit recordings of joint-innervating nociceptors w...

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibits contractions of the myometrium. Isometric force measurements on myometrial strips were carried out to monitor the inhibitory capacity of CGRP in the myometrium during the estrous cycle and in response to estrogen and progesterone in ovariectomized mice. CGRP inhibition of KCl-induced contractions was lowest at estrus and significantly increased du...

The neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of migraine. We have focused on the role of CGRP in photophobia, which is a common migraine symptom. We previously used an operant-based assay to show that CGRP-sensitized transgenic (nestin/hRAMP1), but not control, mice exhibited light aversion in response to an intracerebroventricular CGRP in...

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a potent vasodilatory peptide present in central and peripheral neurons, is released at inflammatory sites and inhibits several macrophage, dendritic cell, and lymphocyte functions. In the present study, we investigated the role of CGRP in models of local and systemic acute inflammation and on macrophage activation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Int...

I. History and Discovery 904 A. Calcitonin gene-related peptide: a novel neuropeptide 904 B. Adrenomedullin: a tissue-derived peptide 905 C. Amylin: a pancreatic peptide 905 II. Structure 905 III. Distribution and Regulation of Genes and Peptides 906 A. CGRP: a wide distribution 906 B. AM: upregulation in disease 907 C. Amylin: relevance to diabetes 908 IV. Receptors 908 A. Cloning of CGRP rece...

α-Calcitonin gene-related peptide (α-CGRP) is a 37 amino-acid neuropeptide that is primarily released from C-type sensory neurons. α-CGRP exerts multiple modulatory effects on immune responses and visceral organ function, but the role of exogenous α-CGRP in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) has remained to be elucidated. Forty-eight rats were randomized to receive continu...

Adrenomedullin (AM) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are related peptides with distinct pharmacological profiles. Calcitonin-receptor-like receptor (CRLR, now known as CL) can function as either an AM receptor or a CGRP receptor, when cotransfected with receptor-activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) that define ligand-binding specificity. The aim of the present study was to determine th...

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was isolated from an extract of the intestine of the cod Gadus morhua. The primary structure of this 37-amino acid peptide was established as follows: ACNTA TCVTH RLADF LSRSG GIGNS NFVPT NVGSK AF-NH2. The peptide shows close structural similarities to other nonmammalian (3-4 amino acid substitutions) and mammalian (5-8 amino acid substitutions) CGRPs, and ...

1. Heterogeneity in the receptors for the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been apparent for nearly 20 years. This is most clearly manifested in the observation of CGRP(8-37)-sensitive and -insensitive populations of CGRP-activated receptors. The pA(2) values for CGRP(8-37) in excess of 7 are widely considered to be the result of antagonism of CGRP(1) receptors, whereas t...

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and adrenomedullin (AM) are potent vasodilators and exert positive chronotropic and inotropic effects on the heart. Receptors for CGRP and AM are calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR)/receptor-activity-modifying protein (RAMP) 1 and CLR/RAMP2 heterodimers, respectively. The present study was designed to delineate distinct cardiovascular effects of CGRP a...