Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide is a potent hypotensive agent and a member of the Calcitonin/CGRP multigene complex. This peptide is 37 amino acids long containing one disulfide bridge. It is highly conserved among species indicating its importance as a vasoactive peptide and shares homology with Amylin, Adrenomedullin and Calcitonin. It has been suggested that these peptides may have shared an ancestral gene. CGRP has been shown to elevate the flow of blood and enhance the contractibility of the atrium. CGRP shares some effects of Calcitonin on the osteoclast and renal Calcitonin receptors, but at several hundred fold molar concentration.
Zaidi, M. et al., Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences 28, No. 2, 109 (1990)