In the brain it may be responsible for the effects of stress on appetite. 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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Hauger RL, Grigoriadis DE, Dallman MF, Plotsky PM, Vale WW, Dautzenberg FM (Mar 2003). "International Union of Pharmacology. XXXVI. Current status of the nomenclature for receptors for corticotropin-releasing factor and their ligands". Pharmacological Reviews. 55 (1): 21–6. doi:10.1124/pr.55.1.3. PMID12615952. S2CID1572317.
Imperatore A, Florio P, Torres PB, Torricelli M, Galleri L, Toti P, Occhini R, Picciolini E, Vale W, Petraglia F (Jul 2006). "Urocortin 2 and urocortin 3 are expressed by the human placenta, deciduas, and fetal membranes". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 195 (1): 288–95. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2005.12.048. PMID16626608.
Saruta M, Takahashi K, Suzuki T, Fukuda T, Torii A, Sasano H (Jul 2005). "Urocortin 3/stresscopin in human colon: possible modulators of gastrointestinal function during stressful conditions". Peptides. 26 (7): 1196–206. doi:10.1016/j.peptides.2005.01.014. PMID15949638. S2CID23604531.
Chanalaris A, Lawrence KM, Stephanou A, Knight RD, Hsu SY, Hsueh AJ, Latchman DS (Oct 2003). "Protective effects of the urocortin homologues stresscopin (SCP) and stresscopin-related peptide (SRP) against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes". Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. 35 (10): 1295–305. doi:10.1016/S0022-2828(03)00244-X. PMID14519439.
Hsu SY, Hsueh AJ (May 2001). "Human stresscopin and stresscopin-related peptide are selective ligands for the type 2 corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor". Nature Medicine. 7 (5): 605–11. doi:10.1038/87936. PMID11329063. S2CID22916906.