 Met-enkephalin 3D structure, alpha-carbons shown as balls and labeled by residue.[1] | |||||||
| Identifiers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | PENK | ||||||
| NCBI gene | 5179 | ||||||
| HGNC | 8831 | ||||||
| OMIM | 131330 | ||||||
| RefSeq | NM_006211 | ||||||
| UniProt | P01210 | ||||||
| Other data | |||||||
| Locus | Chr. 8 q23-q24 | ||||||
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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.[2]
- Met-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met.
- Leu-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu.
- ^ PDB: 1plx; Marcotte I, Separovic F, Auger M, Gagné SM (March 2004). "A multidimensional 1H NMR investigation of the conformation of methionine-enkephalin in fast-tumbling bicelles". Biophys. J. 86 (3): 1587–600. Bibcode:2004BpJ....86.1587M. doi:10.1016/S0006-3495(04)74226-5. PMC 1303993. PMID 14990485.
- ^ Noda M, Teranishi Y, Takahashi H, Toyosato M, Notake M, Nakanishi S, Numa S (June 1982). "Isolation and structural organization of the human preproenkephalin gene". Nature. 297 (5865): 431–4. Bibcode:1982Natur.297..431N. doi:10.1038/297431a0. PMID 6281660. S2CID 4371340.