The role of Melanocortin 2 Receptor (MC2R) in adrenal/interrenal glucocorticoid secretion has been well documented in many organisms. Studies in mammals have shown that in the adrenal gland two melanocortin receptors and two melanocortin receptor accessory proteins are expressed: MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2. The MRAPs have an opposite effect on the cell surface expression of MC2R and MC5R. In mammals, MRAP aids MC2R but inhibits MC5R cell surface expression. This thesis aims to explore the functional relationship between MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2 in Xenopus tropicalis to determine if the MRAPs have a similar effect on amphibian MC2R and MC5R when the receptors are stimulated with ACTH, or apha-MSH. Expression of these four genes in the frog interrenal was verified through RT-PCR. Then CHO-K1 cells were transfected with plasmid constructs containing X. tropicalis MC2R, MC5R, MRAP2, and a mouse MRAP, and stimulated with ACTH or alpha-MSH. Levels of receptor activation were measured using a CRE-luciferase reporter gene. The findings presented here indicate that in the frog the MRAPs do not have a negative effect on MC5R, since activation of MC5R was not inhibited in the presence of MRAPs. The sensitivity of MC5R for ACTH increased from an EC50 of 1.2 x 10-9 M to an EC50 of 8.7 x 10-11 M in the presence of MRAP (p50 of 1.3 x 10-10 M in the presence of MRAP2 (p
","abstract_html":"<p>The role of Melanocortin 2 Receptor (MC2R) in adrenal/interrenal glucocorticoid secretion has been well documented in many organisms. Studies in mammals have shown that in the adrenal gland two melanocortin receptors and two melanocortin receptor accessory proteins are expressed: MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2. The MRAPs have an opposite effect on the cell surface expression of MC2R and MC5R. In mammals, MRAP aids MC2R but inhibits MC5R cell surface expression. This thesis aims to explore the functional relationship between MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2 in<em> Xenopus tropicalis</em> to determine if the MRAPs have a similar effect on amphibian MC2R and MC5R when the receptors are stimulated with ACTH, or apha-MSH. Expression of these four genes in the frog interrenal was verified through RT-PCR. Then CHO-K1 cells were transfected with plasmid constructs containing <em>X. tropicalis</em> MC2R, MC5R, MRAP2, and a mouse MRAP, and stimulated with ACTH or alpha-MSH. Levels of receptor activation were measured using a CRE-luciferase reporter gene. The findings presented here indicate that in the frog the MRAPs do not have a negative effect on MC5R, since activation of MC5R was not inhibited in the presence of MRAPs. The sensitivity of MC5R for ACTH increased from an EC<sub>50</sub> of 1.2 x 10<sup>-9</sup> M to an EC<sub>50</sub> of 8.7 x 10<sup>-11</sup> M in the presence of MRAP (p50 of 1.3 x 10-<sup>10</sup> M in the presence of MRAP2 (p</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Garcia, Yesenia"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Robert M. Dores, Ph.D.","Joseph Angleson","James E. Platt","Keith Miller"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-11-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-11-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:19Z","subjects":["Melanocortin Receptors","Xenopus tropicalis","Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology","Molecular Biology"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/228","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Robert M. Dores, Ph.D.","Joseph Angleson","James E. Platt","Keith Miller"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Garcia, Yesenia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2001-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Melanocortin Receptors","Xenopus tropicalis","Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology","Molecular Biology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/228"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The role of Melanocortin 2 Receptor (MC2R) in adrenal/interrenal glucocorticoid secretion has been well documented in many organisms. Studies in mammals have shown that in the adrenal gland two melanocortin receptors and two melanocortin receptor accessory proteins are expressed: MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2. The MRAPs have an opposite effect on the cell surface expression of MC2R and MC5R. In mammals, MRAP aids MC2R but inhibits MC5R cell surface expression. This thesis aims to explore the functional relationship between MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2 in Xenopus tropicalis to determine if the MRAPs have a similar effect on amphibian MC2R and MC5R when the receptors are stimulated with ACTH, or apha-MSH. Expression of these four genes in the frog interrenal was verified through RT-PCR. Then CHO-K1 cells were transfected with plasmid constructs containing X. tropicalis MC2R, MC5R, MRAP2, and a mouse MRAP, and stimulated with ACTH or alpha-MSH. Levels of receptor activation were measured using a CRE-luciferase reporter gene. The findings presented here indicate that in the frog the MRAPs do not have a negative effect on MC5R, since activation of MC5R was not inhibited in the presence of MRAPs. The sensitivity of MC5R for ACTH increased from an EC50 of 1.2 x 10-9 M to an EC50 of 8.7 x 10-11 M in the presence of MRAP (p50 of 1.3 x 10-10 M in the presence of MRAP2 (p
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Analyzing the Interactions Between Xenopus tropicalis MC2R, MC5R, and the MRAPs: Modeling the Regulation of Frog Interrenal Cells"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Robert M. Dores, Ph.D.","Joseph Angleson","James E. Platt","Keith Miller"],"dc:creator":["Garcia, Yesenia"],"dc:date.available":["2001-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The role of Melanocortin 2 Receptor (MC2R) in adrenal/interrenal glucocorticoid secretion has been well documented in many organisms. Studies in mammals have shown that in the adrenal gland two melanocortin receptors and two melanocortin receptor accessory proteins are expressed: MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2. The MRAPs have an opposite effect on the cell surface expression of MC2R and MC5R. In mammals, MRAP aids MC2R but inhibits MC5R cell surface expression. This thesis aims to explore the functional relationship between MC2R, MC5R, MRAP, and MRAP2 in Xenopus tropicalis to determine if the MRAPs have a similar effect on amphibian MC2R and MC5R when the receptors are stimulated with ACTH, or apha-MSH. Expression of these four genes in the frog interrenal was verified through RT-PCR. Then CHO-K1 cells were transfected with plasmid constructs containing X. tropicalis MC2R, MC5R, MRAP2, and a mouse MRAP, and stimulated with ACTH or alpha-MSH. Levels of receptor activation were measured using a CRE-luciferase reporter gene. The findings presented here indicate that in the frog the MRAPs do not have a negative effect on MC5R, since activation of MC5R was not inhibited in the presence of MRAPs. The sensitivity of MC5R for ACTH increased from an EC50 of 1.2 x 10-9 M to an EC50 of 8.7 x 10-11 M in the presence of MRAP (p50 of 1.3 x 10-10 M in the presence of MRAP2 (p
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/228"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"dc:subject":["Melanocortin Receptors","Xenopus tropicalis","Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology","Molecular Biology"],"dc:title":["Analyzing the Interactions Between Xenopus tropicalis MC2R, MC5R, and the MRAPs: Modeling the Regulation of Frog Interrenal Cells"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:19Z"}