Endocrine Abstracts

Neurokinin B has been traditionally regarded as a neuropeptide being confined to the CNS, with no peripheral expression. This situation was the cause of some confusion as its preferred receptor (NK3R) is found mainly on peripheral organs such as the portal vein, mesenteric vessels and the heart with relatively low levels in the brain. In 2000 our laboratory reported the placenta to be an abundant peripheral endocrine source of NKB, giving rise to significant plasma concentrati...

The tachykinin neurokinin B (NKB) has prominent roles in neuroendocrine function, behaviour and the control of reproductive processes, yet little is known about its evolution, potential splice variants or the manner in which it is processed. Indeed, the cloning of human TAC3 in 2000 revealed a single gene transcript encoding a single precursor and single tachykinin. Here, we deduce the phylogenetic relationship of a family of NKB peptides, and identify novel TAC3...

Mild symptoms of pre-eclampsia (PE) include hypertension and proteinuria, but more severe cases develop cerebrovascular accident, liver capsule distention, platelet pathology, pulmonary oedema and renal failure. As we have recently reported neurokinin B (NKB) levels to be significantly raised in the plasma of women with PE, the aim of this study is to establish the pathological role of NKB in this disease.NKB acts predominantly through the NK3 receptor, ...