Peptides

thumb|right|180px|An agar plate containing tryptone supporting growth of a micro-organism. Tryptone is the assortment of peptides formed by the digestion of casein by the protease trypsin.

short polycationic sequences

thumb | right | alt=Lactoferrin Structure | Lactoferrin Structure Lactoferricin is an amphipathic, cationic peptide with anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties. It can be generated by the pepsin-mediated digestion of lactoferrin.

Urotensin-II (U-II) is a peptide ligand that is the strongest known vasoconstrictor. Because of the involvement of the UII system in multiple biological systems such as the cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, and renal, it represents a promising target for the development of new drugs.

Felypressin is a non-catecholamine vasoconstrictor that is chemically related to vasopressin, the posterior pituitary hormone. It is added to some local anaesthetics such as prilocaine in a concentration of 0.03 IU/ml. Felypressin is a Vasopressin 1 agonist, and will thus have effects at all Arginine vasopressin receptor 1As. It will, however, have its main physiological effects on vascular SMC's due to the form in which it is administered.

Setmelanotide, sold under the brand name Imcivree, is a medication used for the treatment of genetic obesity caused by a rare single-gene mutation.

Deslorelin, sold under the brand name Suprelorin among others, is an injectable gonadotropin releasing hormone superagonist (GnRH agonist) which is used in veterinary medicine for various indications.

chemical compound

Vapreotide (Sanvar) is a synthetic somatostatin analog. It is used in the treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhotic liver disease and AIDS-related diarrhea.

Plectasin is an antibiotic protein from the mushroom Pseudoplectania nigrella. It was initially discovered in 2005 and commercialised by Novozymes. Plectasin belongs to the antimicrobial peptide class called fungal defensins, which is also present in invertebrates such as flies and mussels.

Sotatercept, sold under the brand name Winrevair, is a medication used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. It inhibits activin signaling using the extracellular domain of the activin type 2 receptor fused with an immunoglobulin Fc domain (ACTRIIA-Fc) as a recombinant fusion protein. It is administered via subcutaneous injection.

Alsactide (INN; brand name Synchrodyn 1-17 or simply Synchrodyn; former development code Hoechst 433; also known as alisactide) is a synthetic peptide and analogue of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which is used in Italy as a diagnostic agent in kidney function for adrenal insufficiency. Like ACTH, alsactide is thought to act as a non-selective agonist of the melanocortin receptors, including the ACTH receptor (MC2R). However, it appears to show a different profile of receptor selectivity relative to ACTH, as it apparently demonstrated no evidence of inhibition of endogenous ACTH in Addiso

thumb|The humanin gene is found within the 16S rRNA gene (MT-RNR2) in the mitochondrial genome Humanin is a micropeptide encoded in the mitochondrial genome by the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, MT-RNR2. Its structure contains a three-turn α-helix, and no symmetry.

thumb|300x300px|Micropeptides can be transcribed from 5'UTRs, small genes, polycistronic mRNAs, or mis-annotated lncRNA. Micropeptides (also referred to as microproteins) are polypeptides with a length of less than 100-150 amino acids that are encoded by short open reading frames (sORFs). In this respect, they differ from many other active small polypeptides, which are produced through the posttranslational cleavage of larger polypeptides. In terms of size, micropeptides are considerably shorter than "canonical" proteins, which have an average length of 330 and 449 amino acids in prokaryotes a

family of peptide hormones

Somatorelin is a diagnostic agent for determining growth hormone deficiency. It is a recombinant version of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH).

chemical compound

Dermaseptins are a family of peptides isolated from skin of the frog genus Phyllomedusa. The sequence of the dermaseptins varies greatly but due to the presence of lysine residues all are cationic and most have the potential to form amphipathic helices in water or when integrated with the lipid bilayer of the bacterial membrane. Clear separation of two lobes of positive and negative intramolecular electrostatic potential is thought to be important in cytotoxic activity. Dermaseptins are typically 27-34 amino acid residues in length and were the first vertebrate peptides demonstrated as having

Thymopentin is a thymic polypeptide derivative which interacts with T cells and acts as an immunostimulant. As such, it was used in several clinical studies in the early years of the AIDS pandemic (from 1983 to 1985). Thymopentin helped to improve immunological condition in some patients for a brief time under specific treatments. It has also been investigated more recently for applications in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and lung cancer.

thumb|right|β-alanine, an example of a β-amino acid. The amino group attaches not to the α carbon but to the β-carbon, which in this case is a methylene group. Beta-peptides (β-peptides) are peptides derived from β-amino acids, in which the amino group is attached to the β-carbon (i.e. the carbon two atoms away from the carboxylate group). The parent β-amino acid is β-alanine (H2NCH2CH2CO2H), a common natural substance, but most examples feature substituents in place of one or more C-H bonds. β-peptides usually do not occur in nature. β-Peptide-based antibiotics are being explored as ways of e

Plantazolicin (PZN) is a natural antibiotic produced by the gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus velezensis FZB42 (previously Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42). PZN has specifically been identified as a selective bactericidal agent active against Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. This natural product is a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP); it can be classified further as a thiazole/oxazole-modified microcin (TOMM) or a linear azole-containing peptide (LAP).

Rotigaptide (ZP-123) is a drug under clinical investigation for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias – specifically atrial fibrillation. It is a peptide analog that has been shown to increase gap junction intercellular conductance in cardiac muscle cells. Gap junctions are protein channels that are responsible for conducting electrical impulses between cells in the heart to maintain normal rhythm. Gap junction modulation is a promising and novel mechanism of action for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. Its peptide sequence is Ac-D-Tyr-D-Pro-D-Hyp-Gly-D-Ala-Gly-NH2.

Bulevirtide, sold under the brand name Hepcludex, is an antiviral medication used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis D (in the presence of hepatitis B).