A peptide hormone which consists of two polypeptide chains, A- and B- chains which are linked together by disulfide bonds. The amino acid sequence of insulin varies across species and certain segments of the molecule are highly conserved. In most species, the A chain consists of 21 amino acids and the B chain consists of 30 amino acids. In mammals, insulin is synthesised in the pancreas within the β cells whereas in certain species of fish, the insulin-producing tissue is uniquely located in separate structures called Brockmann bodies.
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Originally referring to an endogenous compound that is formed in specialized organ or group of cells and carried to another organ or group of cells, in the same organism, upon which it has a specific regulatory function, the term is now commonly used to include non-endogenous, semi-synthetic and fully synthetic analogues of such compounds.