Construction of a Mini-library and Structure-Functional Studies of Maxadilan, a Non-mammalian Potent Vasodilatory Peptide, which Interacts with the PAC-1 Receptor

摘要

Maxadilan (Maxa, Fig. 1) isolated from salivary gland lysates of the blood feeding sand fly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, consists of 61 amino acids with 2 disulfides. It is a potent vasodilator that acts selectively as an agonist of the PAC-1 receptor although it has no similarity in the primary structure to PA CAP [1]. PA CAP has been implicated in several physiological processes for which a number of different receptors are known. Hence synthetic Maxa and its related peptides should provide a useful tool for dissecting the physiological actions of the PACAP receptor systems. Maxa has an endothelium-independent vasodilator action with the accumulation of intracellular cAMP and subsequent vasodilatation. Maxa is recognized only by PAC-1 receptors, to which potent agonists and antagonists may have important clinical applications.