Abstract
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) are appropriately linked together because of their structural homology (70%) and their similar physiological activity. VIP is a 28-amino-acid peptide that was discovered by Said and Mutt in 1970 as a potent vasodilator isolated from porcine intestine. In 1989, Arimura and his group discovered PACAP from extracts of ovine hypothalamus as a stimulator of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) formation in pituitary cells. PACAP exists in two forms: a 38-amino-acid peptide and a C-terminal truncated form consisting of 27 amino acids. Although PACAP is often more potent than VIP in eliciting a physiological response, both peptides have important roles in the peripheral and central systems as well as the endocrine and immune systems.
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