Novel brain-regulating peptide hormone BRP for obesity

BRP, a newly characterized bioactive peptide hormone cleaved by PCSK1, could help treat obesity by triggering central FOS activation, independently of GLP-1 signaling.

A secretome-wide computational screen to identify bioactive peptides cleaved by the prohormone processor PCSK1 identified 2,683 peptides, of which 100 were synthesized and screened for bioactivity in human neuronal and β cell lines by assessing mRNA levels of the peptide hormone-activated transcription factor subunit FOS. The screen identified BRP, a 12-amino acid peptide derived from BRINP2, that induced FOS more than ten-fold compared with vehicle in both cell lines, and was detected in human cerebral spinal fluid. ...