Gastrin and cholecystokinin of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, have distinct effects on gallbladder motility and gastric acid secretion in vitro.

Many regulatory peptides form families with at least two homologous members. For several such families the divergence of the individual members from a common ancestor can be dated to early in vertebrate history. Cholecystokinin (CCK) and gastrin were originally identified in mammals. Recently, two distinct members of the CCK/gastrin family were identified in the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), termed CCK and gastrin. Frog gastrin is very similar to CCK in the region defining biological activity. To evaluate whether the two endogenous peptides have distinct properties, their effects were studied in typical target organs. While porcine gallbladder responded equally to frog gastrin-8 and CCK-8, EC50 values for stimulation of bullfrog gallbladder contractions were 490 nM (gastrin) and 69 nM (CCK). In contrast, gastrin appeared to be a more potent stimulant of acid secretion than CCK; the estimated EC50 values are 3.1 and 17.2 nM, respectively. Furthermore, gastrin had a significantly higher efficacy than CCK-8s. Thus, in spite of their close structural resemblance, there are clear differences between the two endogenous peptides in their action on gallbladder and gastric mucosa. It is concluded that there are distinct gastrin and CCK functions already at the amphibian level of evolution.