enkephalin
American Heritage Dictionary:
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en·keph·a·lin
(ĕn-kĕf'ə-lĭn) 
n.
Either of two closely related pentapeptides having opiate qualities and occurring in the brain, spinal cord, and other parts of the body.
n.
Either of two closely related pentapeptides having opiate qualities and occurring in the brain, spinal cord, and other parts of the body.
[Greek enkephalos, in the head (en-, in + kephalē, head) + -IN.]
enkephalin (ĕnkĕf'əlĭn), one of several naturally occurring morphinelike substances (endorphins) released from nerve endings of the central nervous system and the adrenal medulla. They act as analgesics and sedatives in the body and appear to affect mood and motivation.
Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry:
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enkephalin
any pentapeptide endorphin with the sequence Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Xaa. There are two similar naturally occurring enkephalins, present in brain, spinal cord, and gut; their recommended trivial names are: [5-leucine]enkephalin (abbr.: [Leu5]enkephalin or [Leu]enkephalin), Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu (I); and [5-methionine]enkephalin (abbr.: [Met5]enkephalin or [Met]enkephalin), Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met (II). (II has the same sequence as residues 61 — 65 of β-lipotropin.) The common precursor of I and II, proenkephalin — itself formed from preproenkephalin by removal of the signal peptide — contains four copies of II and one each of I, the heptapeptide [Met5]enkephalinyl-Arg-Phe, and the octapeptide [Met5]enkephalinyl-Arg-Phe-Leu. (Note: Designations such as Leu-, leucyl-, or leucine-enkephalin have commonly been given to I, with corresponding terms for II, but all of these incorrectly imply N-terminal extension with a residue of leucine or methionine, respectively.)
| enhancer trap vector, enhancer, enhanceosome | |
| enkephalin convertase, enniatin, enol |
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:
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enkephalin
Either of two naturally occurring pentapeptides (methionine enkephalin and leucine enkephalin) isolated from the brain, which have potent opiate-like effects and probably serve as neurotransmitters. They are classified as endorphins.
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry
Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved.
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