Developing Melanocortin 3 Selective Ligands through C-Terminal Modification of Melanocortin Peptides

Abstract

The melanocortin 3 and 4 receptors share 58% overall amino acid identity and 76% similarity. This high level of similarity between the MC3R and the MC4R underscores the difficulties associated with developing MC3R selective ligands, and as a consequence little is known of the physiological functions of the melanocortin 3 receptor. Previous research showing the differences between endogenous non-selective ligands and melanocortin 3 receptor selective ligands are mainly within the C-terminus of the melanocortin peptide. These findings have been exploited in this research using known melanocortin 3 and 4 selective ligands modified at their respective C-termini to develop some very promising melancortin 3 selective antagonists and agonists, analog 5 ([CO(CH₂)₂CO-DNal(2')-Arg-Trp-Lys]-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH₂) and analog 20 ((H-DNal(2')-c[Asp-Pr6-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-Ala-Gly-Pro-Val-NH₂) respectively. Additional studies using molecular modeling have produced further insights into the structural basis for selectivity. Finally, we have been developing a new scaffold for the melanocortin receptor using cyclic dipeptide derivatives.