Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Human beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone revisited.

X Bertagna, F Lenne, D Comar

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|December 1, 1986

Summary

The study detected a shorter peptide, human beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (h beta MSH)-(5-22), in human nonpituitary tissues. This peptide is a normal product of proopiomelanocortin maturation, challenging previous assumptions about h beta MSH existence.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Challenging Spontaneous Quantum Collapse with the XENONnT Dark Matter Detector.

Physical review letters·2026

Same author

WIMP Dark Matter Search Using a 3.1 Tonne-Year Exposure of the XENONnT Experiment.

Physical review letters·2025

Same author

Neurological manifestations in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a French multicentric cohort.

European journal of paediatric neurology : EJPN : official journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society·2025

Same author

Electron transport measurements in liquid xenon with Xenoscope, a large-scale DARWIN demonstrator.

The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields·2023

Same author

[Intravesical instillations for inflammatory and sensory chronic bladder diseases: Literature review and guide to clinical practice].

Progres en urologie : journal de l'Association francaise d'urologie et de la Societe francaise d'urologie·2022

Same author

2021 opinion from the CUROPF on THE efficacy and safety of mid-urethral slings used in women WITH urinary stress incontinence.

Progres en urologie : journal de l'Association francaise d'urologie et de la Societe francaise d'urologie·2021

Area of Science:

Endocrinology
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Human beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (h beta MSH) was previously considered an artifact, a 22-amino acid peptide from lipotropin (LPH).
The existence of shorter, biologically relevant peptides derived from LPH in human tissues remained unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence and characteristics of the 18-amino acid peptide h beta MSH-(5-22) in human tissues.
To determine if h beta MSH-(5-22) is a naturally occurring peptide in humans.

Main Methods:

Extraction and Sephadex G-50 chromatography of human pituitaries, hypothalami, and tumors.
Radioimmunoassays using specific antisera for human gamma LPH (h gamma LPH) and its fragments.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for peptide characterization.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

Normal pituitaries and pituitary tumors showed immunoreactivity only for h gamma LPH.
Hypothalami and nonpituitary tumors contained h gamma LPH and a smaller peptide detected by a COOH-terminal h gamma LPH antiserum.
This smaller peptide coeluted with synthetic h beta MSH-(5-22) in HPLC, distinct from h beta MSH.

Conclusions:

The 18-amino acid peptide h beta MSH-(5-22), corresponding to h beta LPH-(39-56), is a normal maturation product of proopiomelanocortin.
This peptide is found in human nonpituitary tissues, suggesting its biological relevance.