Salusin-α and salusin-β are translated from an alternatively spliced mRNA of TOR2A, a gene encoding a protein of the torsion dystonia family. Salusins are recently identified regulators of hemodynamics and mitogenesis with no sequence homology to previously identified peptides. They are expressed and synthesized within human tissues and are present in human body fluids, suggesting that salusin-α and salusin-β are endocrine and / or paracrine factors.
Salusin-α, a bioactive peptide with mild hypotensive and bradycardic effects, could serve as biomarker for atherosclerotic coronary heart disease.
