neurotensin receptor subtype 1, member of the class A family of seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors
Neurotensin (NTS) is a 13 amino-acid neuropeptide that functions as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone in the nervous system and peripheral tissues, respectively. NTS exerts various biological activities through activation of the G protein-coupled neurotensin receptors, NTSR1 and NTSR2. In the brain, NTS is involved in the modulation of dopamine neurotransmission, opioid-independent analgesia, hypothermia, and the inhibition of food intake, while in the periphery NTS promotes the growth of various normal and cancer cells and acts as a paracrine and endocrine modulator of the digestive tract. The third neurotensin receptor, NTSR3 or also called sortilin, is not a G protein-coupled receptor.