Bombesin-Like Peptide Genes

Bombesin, a tetradecapeptide, was first isolated from the skin of the frog Bombina bombina by Anastasi and coworkers in 1971 (1). Subsequently, related peptides were found in the skin of other amphibian species (2–4). After it was isolated, bombesin was found to have marked biological activity despite the fact that no mammalian counterpart was known. Synthetic amphibian bombesin released gastrointestinal (GI) hormones (2, 5, 6), stimulated gastric motility (6), and, when injected into the brain, produced hypothermia (7).