View source for FMRFamide

'''FMRFamide''' (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH<sub>2</sub>) is a [[neuropeptide]] from a broad family of FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs) all sharing an -RFamide sequence at their [[C-terminus]]. First identified in [[Hard clam]] ''Mercenaria mercenaria'' it is thought to play an important role in cardiac activity regulation. In ''Mercenaria mercenaria'', FMRFamide has been isolated and demonstrated to increase both the force and frequency of the heartbeat through a biochemical pathway that is thought to involve the increase of cytoplasmic [[cAMP]] in the ventricular region (Higgins et al., 1978).

FMRFamide is an important neuropeptide in several phyla such as [[Insecta]], [[Nematoda]], [[Mollusca]] and [[Annelida]]<ref>{{cite journal |author=Oetken M, Bachmann J, Schulte-Oehlmann U, Oehlmann J |title=Evidence for endocrine disruption in invertebrates |journal=Int. Rev. Cytol. |volume=236 |issue= |pages=1–44 |year=2004 |pmid=15261735 |doi=10.1016/S0074-7696(04)36001-8 |url=}}</ref>. 
It is the most abundant neuropeptide in [[endocrine]] cells of insect alimentary tracts along with [[allatostatin]] and [[tachykinin]] families, however the neuropeptide’s function is not known. Generally, the neuropeptide is encoded by several genes such as flp-1 through flp-22 in [[Caenorhabditis elegans|C. elegans]]. The common precursor of the FaRPs is modified to yield many different neuropeptides all having the same FMRFamide sequence. Moreover, these peptides are not functionally redundant <ref>{{cite journal |author=Li C, Kim K, Nelson LS |title=FMRFamide-related neuropeptide gene family in Caenorhabditis elegans |journal=Brain Res. |volume=848 |issue=1-2 |pages=26–34 |year=1999 |month=November |pmid=10612695 |doi= 10.1016/S0006-8993(99)01972-1|url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0006-8993(99)01972-1}}</ref>.

In invertebrates, the FMFRamide-related peptides are known to affect [[heart rate]], [[blood pressure]], [[gut motility]], [[feeding behaviour]] and [[reproduction]]. In vertebrates such as mice, they are known to affect [[opioid]] [[receptors]] resulting in elicitation of naloxone-sensitive antinociception and reduction of [[morphine]]-induced [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/antinociception antinociception] <ref>{{cite journal |author=Raffa RB, Connelly CD |title=Supraspinal antinociception produced by [D-Met2]-FMRFamide in mice |journal=Neuropeptides |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=195–203 |year=1992 |month=July |pmid=1331846 |doi= 10.1016/0143-4179(92)90162-P|url=}}</ref>.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.abcam.com/index.html?datasheet=10352&t0=1587883-12317545 FMRFamide antibody (ab10352) datasheet]

{{Neuropeptides}}

[[Category:Biomolecules]]
[[Category:Neurotransmitters]]
[[Category:2Fix]]