Urocortin-3 is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the UCN3 gene.[5][6] It belongs to the corticotropin-releasing hormone family.[7]
This gene is a member of the sauvagine/corticotropin-releasing factor/urotensin I family. It is structurally related to the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) gene and the encoded product is an endogenous ligand for CRF type 2 receptors.
In the brain it may be responsible for the effects of stressonappetite. In humans, it is also expressed by alpha cells and beta cells in the pancreas and is co-released with glucagon and insulin to promote somatostatin release from neighboring delta cells, which provides negative feedback on glucagon and insulin secretion.[8] In spite of the gene family name similarity, the product of this gene has no sequence similarity to Urotensin-II.[6]
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