Not to be confused with the steroids also called cortistatins (chemical structures: cortistatin A, C, and J).
Precortistatin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CORTgene.[5][6] The 105 amino acid residue human precortistatin in turn is cleaved into cortistatin-17 and cortistatin-29. Cortistatin-17 is the only active peptide derived from the precursor.[5]Cortistatin (or more specifically cortistatin-17) is a neuropeptide that is expressed in inhibitory neurons of the cerebral cortex, and which has a strong structural similarity to somatostatin. Unlike somatostatin, when infused into the brain, it enhances slow-wave sleep. It binds to sites in the cortex, hippocampus and the amygdala.
Cortistatin is a neuropeptide with strong structural similarity to somatostatin (both peptides belong to the same family). It binds to all known somatostatin receptors, and shares many pharmacological and functional properties with somatostatin, including the depression of neuronal activity. However, it also has many properties distinct from somatostatin, such as induction of slow-wave sleep, apparently by antagonism of the excitatory effects of acetylcholine on the cortex, reduction of locomotor activity, and activation of cation selective currents not responsive to somatostatin.[6]
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Ejeskär K, Abel F, Sjöberg R, et al. (2000). "Fine mapping of the human preprocortistatin gene (CORT) to neuroblastoma consensus deletion region 1p36.3→p36.2, but absence of mutations in primary tumors". Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 89 (1–2): 62–6. doi:10.1159/000015566. PMID10894940. S2CID13005311.
Deghenghi R, Papotti M, Ghigo E, Muccioli G (2001). "Cortistatin, but not somatostatin, binds to growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptors of human pituitary gland". J. Endocrinol. Invest. 24 (1): RC1–3. doi:10.1007/bf03343800. PMID11227737. S2CID30072435.
Harrington JJ, Sherf B, Rundlett S, et al. (2001). "Creation of genome-wide protein expression libraries using random activation of gene expression". Nat. Biotechnol. 19 (5): 440–5. doi:10.1038/88107. PMID11329013. S2CID25064683.
Dalm VA, van Hagen PM, van Koetsveld PM, et al. (2003). "Expression of somatostatin, cortistatin, and somatostatin receptors in human monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells". Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 285 (2): E344–53. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00048.2003. PMID12684217. S2CID7954897.
Papotti M, Tarabra E, Allia E, et al. (2004). "Presence of cortistatin in the human pancreas". J. Endocrinol. Invest. 26 (8): RC15–8. doi:10.1007/bf03347348. PMID14669820. S2CID32817369.