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| Aliases | NPS , neuropeptide S | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| External IDs | OMIM: 609513; MGI: 3642232; HomoloGene: 106066; GeneCards: NPS; OMA:NPS - orthologs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a neuropeptide found in human and mammalian brain, mainly produced by neurons in the amygdala and between Barrington's nucleus and the locus coeruleus, although NPS-responsive neurons extend projections into many other brain areas. [5] [6] [7] NPS binds specifically to a G protein-coupled receptor, NPSR. [8] [9] Animal studies show that NPS suppresses anxiety and appetite, induces wakefulness [10] and hyperactivity, including hyper-sexuality, and plays a significant role in the extinction of conditioned fear. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] It has also been shown to significantly enhance dopamine activity in the mesolimbic pathway, [17] and inhibits motility and increases permeability in neurocrine fashion acting through NO in the myenteric plexus in rats and humans. [18]
The non-peptide NPS receptor antagonist SHA-68 blocks the effects of NPS in animals and is anxiogenic. [19] Several peptide derived NPS agonists and antagonists have also been developed. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
Below are the sequences of mature neuropeptide S in several representative species in which it is expressed:
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| species | sequence | MW | 
|---|---|---|
| human | SFRNGVGTGMKKTSFQRAKS | 2187.5 | 
| rat | SFRNGVGSGVKKTSFRRAKQ | 2210.5 | 
| mouse | SFRNGVGSGAKKTSFRRAKQ | 2182.5 | 
| dog, chimp | SFRNGVGTGMKKTSFRRAKS | 2215.6 | 
| chicken | SFRNGVGSGIKKTSFRRAKS | 2183.5 | 
| consensus | SFRNGVGxGXKKTSFxRAKx | N/A | 
According to Pfam's HMM logo, there is a conserved "KR" cleave site immediately N-terminal to the C-terminal mature peptide.
