Musculoaponeurotic Fibrosarcoma Oncogene Family, Human, Control Peptide (hMafF)

Control Peptide for M9525-02 (antiserum) and M9525-03(affinity purified), A 15aa peptide sequence near the N-terminus of hMAfF . The hypothalamic Oxytocin (OT) is a nine-amino acid peptide, which exerts multiple biological actions as a hormone and as neurotransmitter. OT stimulates uterine smooth muscle and mammary myoepithelial cell contraction, prostaglandin production by uterine endometrial and amnion cells, milk ejaculation from the mammary gland, and induction of specific mating behavior and maternal behaviors. Just before the onset of labor, uterine myometrium becomes extremely sensitive to oxytocin, for which it is a primary target tissue, because of a dramatic increase in the number of oxytocin receptors. OT initiates its physiological activity by interacting with the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) known as oxytocin receptor (OTR). The encoded receptor is a 388-amino-acid polypeptide with 7 transmembrane domains typical of G protein-coupled receptors. Messenger RNAs for the receptor are of two sizes, 3.6 kilobases in breast, and 4.4 kilobases in ovary, uterine endometrium and myometrium. The mRNA level in the myometrium is very high at term. The US-2 element in the promoter of the human oxytocin receptor gene (OTR) binds specifically nuclear proteins from human myometrium at parturition. Using the US-2 element in a yeast 1-hybrid system to screen a human myometrium cDNA library, a full-length cDNA encoding the homolog of chicken musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene family (MafF) was isolated. Human MAfF (hMAfF) (mouse 156-aa, chicken 149-aa, human 164-aa, chromosome 22q12.2-q13.2) is ~18kD protein. Like other small MAF proteins (e.g., MAFG) it contains an extended leucine zipper structure and lacks an N-terminal transactivating domain. MafF is strongly expressed in term myometrium and from kidney, but not from nonpregnant myometrium. MAFF may play a role in OTR gene upregulation., , Control peptide, because of its low MW (<3kD), is not suitable for Western