CART peptide analysis by Western blotting.

CART peptides have been implicated in leptin-regulated feeding, reward and reinforcement, neurotropism, and other processes. In this Western blotting study, at least six different CART peptides varying from 4 to 14 kD were found in rat brain, pituitary, gut, and adrenal gland. The peptides may be processed differently in different tissues and one species found in the rat was not found in human hypothalamus. The higher molecular weight species are likely to include preproCART and proCART, while lower molecular weight peptides may be CART 55-102 and 62-102, physiologically active fragments.