2009-07-27 16:34:01 -

Research and Markets( www.researchandmarkets.com/research/edae22/relaxin_and_relate : ) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report " Relaxin and Related Peptides : " to their offering.

Relaxin is a protein hormone, produced and secreted during pregnancy in mammalian species, having superficial structural features resembling those of insulin. Since its initial isolation from the ovaries of pregnant pigs in 1976, increasing interest in relaxin has led to increased understanding of the chemistry, synthesis, secretion, biological roles, mechanisms of action, and potential clinical applications of relaxin in humans and domestic animals.

In pigs, rats, and mice, relaxin promotes growth and softening of the cervix, enabling rapid and safe delivery of the fetuses. In these species relaxin also promotes growth and

development of the mammary apparatus.

Recently, biological effects of relaxin in the heart, kidney, liver, and brain have been identified, and these discoveries have triggered additional interest in possible clinical applications for relaxin. In 2002, a second form of relaxin, which is found primarily in the brain, was discovered.

Relaxin-like factor (also called insulin 3), which was discovered in 1993, is produced in the fetal testis and plays a major role in testicular descent during development. The recent identification of the receptors for both relaxin and relaxin-like factor has enabled more rigorous studies of the target tissues and mechanisms of action of these hormones.

This volume contains a description of recent advances and future research and clinical possibilities in the field of relaxin and related peptides.



Key Topics Covered:

- Preface (G. Bryant-Greenwood).


- Tribute. Bernard G. Steinetz, Jr.: A Most Tenacious Relaxinologist (O.
David Sherwood).



- Part I: Relaxin and Related Peptides : : Structure and Function.


- Part II: Relaxin Family Receptors.


- Part III: Relaxin and Related Peptides : (Receptor Signaling).


- Part IV: Reproductive Functions of Relaxin and Related Peptides : .


- Part V: Physiology of Insulin-Like Peptide 3.


- Part VI: Neurobiology of Relaxin and Relaxin-Related Peptides.


- Part VII: Cardiac Actions of Relaxin.


- Part VIII: Renal and Vascular Actions of Relaxin.


- Part IX: Actions of Relaxin on the Extracellular Matrix.


- Part X: Relaxin and Cancer


For more information visit www.researchandmarkets.com/research/edae22/relaxin_and_relate :



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