enkephalin
Sign in to saveAlso known as enkephalins
An enkephalin is a pentapeptide involved in regulating nociception (pain sensation) in the body. The enkephalins are termed endogenous ligands, as they are internally derived (and therefore endogenous) and bind as ligands to the body's opioid receptors. Discovered in 1975, two forms of enkephalin have been found, one containing leucine ("leu"), and the other containing methionine ("met"). Both are products of the proenkephalin gene: Met-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met. Leu-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu.
Key facts
- Protein.caption
- Met-enkephalin 3D structure, alpha-carbons shown as balls and labeled by residue.
- Protein.image
- Met-enkephalin 1plx model 1.png
- Protein.HGNCid
- 8831
- Protein.Symbol
- PENK
- Protein.EntrezGene
- 5179
- Protein.OMIM
- 131330
- Protein.RefSeq
- NM_006211
- Protein.UniProt
- P01210
- Protein.Chromosome
- 8
- Protein.Arm
- q
- Protein.Band
- 23
- Protein.LocusSupplementaryData
- -q24
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
21,392 papers- Enkephalin-cell interactions.Vitamins and hormones · 2000
- [Enkephalin-inactivating enzymes].Nihon yakurigaku zasshi. Folia pharmacologica Japonica · 1993
- Enkephalin degrading enzymes: metalloproteases with high potential for drug development.Current pharmaceutical design · 2012
- [Enkephalin-forming enzymes (review)].Voprosy meditsinskoi khimii · 1986
- The enkephalin-containing cell: strategies for polypeptide synthesis and secretion throughout the neuroendocrine system.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 1987
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Met-enkephalin 1plx model 1.png
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Endogenous opioid peptides
- Effects on stress
- Enkephalin receptor
- See also
- References
- External links
An enkephalin is a pentapeptide involved in regulating nociception (pain sensation) in the body. The enkephalins are termed endogenous ligands, as they are internally derived (and therefore endogenous) and bind as ligands to the body's opioid receptors. Discovered in 1975, two forms of enkephalin have been found, one containing leucine ("leu"), and the other containing methionine ("met"). Both are products of the proenkephalin gene: Met-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met. Leu-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu.
==Endogenous opioid peptides== There are three well-characterized families of opioid peptides produced by the body: enkephalins, β-endorphin, and dynorphins. The met-enkephalin peptide sequence is coded for by the enkephalin gene; the leu-enkephalin peptide sequence is coded for by both the enkephalin gene and the dynorphin gene. The proopiomelanocortin gene (POMC) also contains the met-enkephalin sequence on the N-terminus of β-endorphin, but the endorphin peptide is not processed into enkephalin.