Glutamate receptor
Glutamate receptors are synaptic and non synaptic receptors located primarily on the membranes of neuronal and glial cells. Glutamate (the conjugate base of glutamic acid) is abundant in the human body, but particularly in the nervous system and especially prominent in the human brain where it is the body's most prominent neurotransmitter, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, and also the precursor for GABA, the brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter. Glutamate receptors are responsible for the glutamate-mediated postsynaptic excitation of neural cells, and are important for neural communication, memory formation, learning, and regulation.
Neuromedin U
Neuromedin U is a highly conserved neuropeptide present in many species, existing as multiple isoforms. For example, in humans it is a 25 amino acid peptide (U-25) in rats it is 23-aas long (U-23) and it has been found to be as low as 8-aas long in some mammals. NMU-8 is identical to the C terminus of NMU-25, thus is the most highly conserved region of the entire peptide. The relative contribution of the different isoforms to the biological function of neuromedin U is generally not well understood. Neuromedin U, like many neuroactive peptides, is amidated at the C-terminus, and all isoforms have identical C-terminal heptapeptides.