Glucagon

This article is about the natural hormone. For the medication, see Glucagon (medication).
glucagon
Identifiers
AliasesGCG(53-81)glucagoneglucagon recombinant
External IDsGeneCards: [1]; OMA:- orthologs
Orthologs
SpeciesHumanMouse
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View/Edit Human

Glucagon is a peptide hormone, produced by alpha cells of the pancreas. It raises the concentration of glucose and fatty acids in the bloodstream and is considered to be the main catabolic hormone of the body.[1] It is also used as a medication to treat a number of health conditions. Its effect is opposite to that of insulin, which lowers extracellular glucose.[2] It is produced from proglucagon, encoded by the GCG gene.

The pancreas releases glucagon when the amount of glucose in the bloodstream is too low. Glucagon causes the liver to engage in glycogenolysis: converting stored glycogen into glucose, which is released into the bloodstream.[3] High blood-glucose levels, on the other hand, stimulate the release of insulin. Insulin allows glucose to be taken up and used by insulin-dependent tissues. Thus, glucagon and insulin are part of a feedback system that keeps blood glucose levels stable. Glucagon increases energy expenditure and is elevated under conditions of stress.[4] Glucagon belongs to the secretin family of hormones.

  1. ^ Voet D, Voet JG (2011). Biochemistry (4th ed.). New York: Wiley.
  2. ^ Reece J, Campbell N (2002). Biology. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. ISBN 978-0-8053-6624-2.
  3. ^ Orsay J (2014). Biology 1: Molecules. Examkrackers Inc. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-893858-70-1.
  4. ^ Jones BJ, Tan T, Bloom SR (March 2012). "Minireview: Glucagon in stress and energy homeostasis". Endocrinology. 153 (3): 1049–54. doi:10.1210/en.2011-1979. PMC 3281544. PMID 22294753.