Endocrine Abstracts

C-terminal derivatives of hormones commonly have secondary actions. This is a well-established phenomenon, seen in the case of oxytocin, parathyroid hormone and alpha-melanotropin. Such derivatives can either complement or antagonise the action of the parent hormone. Thyroid-releasing-hormone (TRH) undergoes cleavage and cyclisation to form the C-terminal derivative histidinyl-proline-diketopiperazine (His-Pro-DKP). Despite conventional function via the endocrine HPT axis, the...