morphogenetic neuropeptide or head activator (HA)

Function

• autocrine growth factor for neural cells in the G2/mitosis transition (putative)

Expression

• found in mammalian intestine & hypothalamus

Notes

• first isolated from nerve cells of hydra & was called head activator by the authors, because it induced head-specific growth & differentiation in this animal

More general terms

• peptide
• growth factor

Database

• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P69208.html