The Melanin-Concentrating Hormone System in Fish

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a true advocate for comparative endocrinology. Originally postulated and identified in the teleost hypothalamus-pituitary complex, it subsequently appeared that MCH also has a wide array of functions in the mammalian brain, including the regulation of feeding b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1998-05, Vol.839 (1), p.205-209
Main Authors: BALM, PAUL H. M., GRÖNEVELD, DIET
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Brackish
Fishes - physiology
Freshwater
Hypothalamic Hormones - physiology
Marine
Melanins - physiology
Melanophores - physiology
Oncorhynchus mykiss - physiology
Phylogeny
Pituitary Hormones - physiology
Tilapia - physiology
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Summary:Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a true advocate for comparative endocrinology. Originally postulated and identified in the teleost hypothalamus-pituitary complex, it subsequently appeared that MCH also has a wide array of functions in the mammalian brain, including the regulation of feeding behavior. Some of these central functions of the peptide appear to be antagonistic to those of another neuropeptide, alpha -MSH, From a comparative perspective this is of interest, because the phylogenetically old action of MCH on the fish skin also opposes that of alpha -MSH. This review focuses on studies on MCH in fish, which appeared after the latest comparative review on MCH, and discusses recent data and perspectives for future research.
ISSN:0077-8923
1749-6632
DOI:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10760.x