Structure-activity relations of the molluscan neuropeptide FMRFamide on some molluscan muscles.

Analogs of the molluscan neuropeptide FMRFamide were tested on four different molluscan muscle preparations which show qualitatively different responses to the peptide; the structure-activity relations are basically similar, but not identical. The C-terminal amide and the Arg3 residue are critical for FMRFamide-like activity on all four preparations. In contrast, analogs extended at the N-terminal or with conservative substitutions for the Phe1 or Met2 residue are approximately equipotent to FMRFamide. These structural requirements parallel those for the C-terminal tetrapeptide amide of gastrin.