TY - JOUR
T1 - A teleost skin bioassay for melanotropic peptides
AU - Castrucci, Ana Maria de L.
AU - Hadley, Mac E.
AU - Hruby, Victor J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was partially supported by the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de SBo Paulo, Grants 8411967 and 85/0718-7 (Brazil), U.S. Public Health Service Grant AM-17420, and National Science Foundation Grant PCM-810078.
PY - 1987/6
Y1 - 1987/6
N2 - A teleost (the eel, Synbranchus marmoratus) skin bioassay for melanotropic peptides and other agonists is described. Unlike previous teleost assays that generally monitor or observe individual melanophores, this objective assay utilizes large intact, pieces-of-skin and quantitative photoreflectance methods. Since melanosomes within most teleost melanophores are generally dispersed, the present assay provides a method for measuring the response of integumental melanophores to melanosome-aggregating agents such as MCH, a putative melanin-concentrating hormone. This bioassay is sensitive to MCH at a concentration as low as 10-12M. Because of the magnitude of this lightening response, four-point dose-response curves can be obtained. Skins lightened by MCH can then be used for bioassay of melanotropins or other melanosome-dispersing agents, such as β-adrenoceptor agonists. This bioassay is unique in providing a method for determining the biological activities of melanotropic peptides with opposing actions.
AB - A teleost (the eel, Synbranchus marmoratus) skin bioassay for melanotropic peptides and other agonists is described. Unlike previous teleost assays that generally monitor or observe individual melanophores, this objective assay utilizes large intact, pieces-of-skin and quantitative photoreflectance methods. Since melanosomes within most teleost melanophores are generally dispersed, the present assay provides a method for measuring the response of integumental melanophores to melanosome-aggregating agents such as MCH, a putative melanin-concentrating hormone. This bioassay is sensitive to MCH at a concentration as low as 10-12M. Because of the magnitude of this lightening response, four-point dose-response curves can be obtained. Skins lightened by MCH can then be used for bioassay of melanotropins or other melanosome-dispersing agents, such as β-adrenoceptor agonists. This bioassay is unique in providing a method for determining the biological activities of melanotropic peptides with opposing actions.
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U2 - 10.1016/0016-6480(87)90247-4
DO - 10.1016/0016-6480(87)90247-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 3609709
AN - SCOPUS:0023359328
VL - 66
SP - 374
EP - 380
JO - General and Comparative Endocrinology
JF - General and Comparative Endocrinology
SN - 0016-6480
IS - 3
ER -