Understanding peptide biology: The discovery and characterization of the novel hormone, neuronostatin

• Published in: Peptides (New York, N.Y. : 1980) N.Y. : 1980), 2015-10, Vol.72, p.192-195
• Main Authors: Yosten, Gina L.C., Elrick, Mollisa M., Salvatori, Alison, Stein, Lauren M., Kolar, Grant R., Ren, Jun, Corbett, John A., Samson, Willis K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brain - metabolism; Genome, Human; Humans; Hypothalamus; Myocardium - metabolism; Neuropeptides; Pancreas - metabolism; Peptide Hormones - genetics; Peptide Hormones - metabolism; Pituitary; Receptors
• ISSN: 0196-9781; 1873-5169
• DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.05.011

•Bioinformatic analyses revealed the novel hormone, neuronostatin.•Neuronostatin is encoded in the preprosomatostatin prohormone.•Neuronostatin has biologic actions unique from those of somatostatin.•GPR107 was determined to mediate the effects of neuronostatin.•Pancreas is a promising target for therapeutic use of neuronostatin. The Human Genome Project provided the opportunity to use bioinformatic approaches to discover novel, endogenous hormones. Using this approach we have identified two novel peptide hormones and review here our strategy for the identification and characterization of the hormone, neuronostatin. We describe in this mini-review our strategy for determining neuronostatin's actions in brain, heart and pancreas. More importantly, we detail our deductive reasoning strategy for the identification of a neuronostatin receptor and our progress in establishing the physiological relevance of the peptide.