Stresscopins and their Uses

Abstract

The invention provides novel nucleic acids and polypeptides, referred to herein as stresscopin 1 and stresscopin 2, which preferentially activate the CRH-R2 receptor over the R1 receptor. Stresscopins, analogs and mimetics, and related CRH-R2 agonists suppress food intake and heat-induced edema; but do not induce substantial release of ACTH. Stresscopin also finds use in the recovery phase of stress responses, as an anti-inflammatory agent, as a hypotensive agent, as a cardioprotective agent, and in the treatment of psychiatric and anxiolytic disorders. Stresscopin nucleic acid compositions find use in identifying homologous or related proteins and the DNA sequences encoding such proteins; in producing compositions that modulate the expression or function of the protein; and in studying associated physiological pathways.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating a metabolic disease comprising administering to a subject in need thereof, a vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding the polypeptide as set forth in SEQ ID NO:5 or 6 or sequences having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO:5 or 6. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the disease is diabetes or heart disease. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the vector is a plasmid or a viral vector. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the vector is an adenoviral vector or a retroviral vector. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the vector comprises a transcription cassette operably linked to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:5 or 6. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subject is a human.