... Presence of melanocortin (MC4) receptor in spiny dogfish suggests an ancient vertebrate origin of central melanocortin system Aneta Ringholm1, Janis Klovins1, Robert Fredriksson1, ... char-acterization and tissue distribution of a melanocortin (MC) receptor gene in a shark, the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanth-ias) (Sac). Phylogenetic analysis showed that this receptor is an ortholog of the ... peptide), ghrelin and MSH are involved in the regulation of energy balance by binding to GPCRs in the central regions of the brain [12,13]. However, in ÔlowerÕvertebrates, the molecular mechanisms for...