Deltorphin, a novel amphibian skin peptide with high selectivity and affinity for delta opioid receptors.

With a cDNA library prepared from skin of Phyllomedusa sauvagei, the sequence of the precursor of dermorphin was elucidated recently. The sequence suggested the existence of another peptide, distantly related to dermorphin. Two variants of this peptide have now been synthesized containing either L- or D-methionine as the second amino acid. The peptide containing the D-methionine exhibited high-affinity and selectivity for delta opioid receptors in the mouse vas deferens and in rat brain homogenates. Moreover, using the synthetic peptide as marker, we could isolate small quantities of the corresponding natural peptide containing D-methionine as the second amino acid from skin extracts of Phyllomedusa sauvagei. The name deltorphin is proposed for this new peptide and its sequence is Tyr-D-Met-Phe-His-Leu-Met-Asp-NH2.