Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.14.16.2 (tyrosine hydroxylase)
 14,760 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Vaginocervical stimulation, that occurs during mating or with the birth of pups, is believed to induce specific sexual and maternal behaviours in the rat as well as stimulating a number of neuroendocrine responses including the secretion of oxytocin, prolactin and luteinizing hormone. Since the medial preoptic area has been implicated in the induction of maternal behaviour, the expression of the immediate-early gene product Fos was compared between non-pregnant, late pregnant and parturient rats. Although no difference was detected in the number of Fos-positive neuronal profiles in the preoptic area of non-pregnant and late-pregnant rats, a large increase was observed in the medial preoptic nucleus and the anteroventral periventricular region, as well as in the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus, of parturient rats. Double labelling for Fos and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the brainstem of parturient rats showed the activation of catecholaminergic neurons in both the nucleus of the tractus solitarius and in the ventrolateral medulla that may form part of the afferent pathway from the uterus and cervix to the preoptic area and hypothalamus.
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PMID:Fos expression within regions of the preoptic area, hypothalamus and brainstem during pregnancy and parturition. 771 54

Tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons, which represent the final common pathway in the inhibitory neuronal control of prolactin (PRL) secretion, are regulated by synaptic input from various transmitter systems. Because adrenergic receptors at hypothalamic sites were implicated in the central regulation of lactotrophs, we hypothesized that a synaptic communication might exist between adrenergic pathways ascending from the brain stem and the TIDA system. Polyclonal antisera directed towards phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), biosynthetic enzymes of catecholamines, were used for the simultaneous immunocytochemical detection of adrenergic fibers and TIDA neurons, respectively, in Vibratome sections of the rat hypothalamus. By the light microscopic evaluation of double-immunostained sections, PNMT-immunoreactive (IR) axon varicosities were localized in juxtaposition to TH-IR cell bodies and dendrites in the arcuate nucleus (AN) which contains perikarya and dendrites of TIDA neurons. The ultrastructural analysis of contacts provided firm evidence for the occurrence of synaptic interactions between the adrenergic and TIDA neuronal systems. These morphological findings show that adrenergic neurons are involved in the afferent regulation of the TIDA system and indicate a putative pathway of central adrenergic effects upon PRL secretion.
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PMID:Adrenergic innervation of dopamine neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of the rat. 771 98

To gain further information on diabetes-related disorders in the somatotrophic and lactotrophic axes, we undertook a functional, morphometrical and densitometrical study of the arcuate nucleus (AN), median eminence (ME) and anterior pituitary gland of adult male rats one month after streptozocin-induced diabetes (STZ-D). The basal secretory activity of somatotrophs and lactotrophs was tested by the reverse haemolytic plaque assay (RHPA) and plasma GH and prolactin (PRL) levels were determined by RIA. The number of GH-releasing factor (GRF)-labelled axons and the amount of axonal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactivity increased in STZ-D. There were no significant differences in any of the other densitometrical measurements performed on GRF-, somatostatin-, thyrotropin-releasing hormone- and TH-labelled ME axon cross-sections as well as those on tuberoinfundibular-dopaminergic neurones of the AN in STZ-D compared with control rats. Plasma GH and PRL levels and measurements on anterior pituitary GH- and PRL-labelled structures were decreased in STZ-D. However, the GH and PRL plaque areas were increased after RHPA implying that the secretory capacity of somatotrophs and lactotrophs was not impaired. Taken together, these results suggest that the accumulated GRF in the ME is due to reduced GRF release. This could account for the reduced amplitude and/or frequency of GH secretory pulses. The increased axonal TH-immunoreactivity may indicate an increased dopamine synthesis. If coupled to increased release this could, in turn, be partly responsible for the reduced plasma and anterior pituitary PRL concentration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:The reduction of circulating growth hormone and prolactin in streptozocin-induced diabetic male rats is possibly caused by hypothalamic rather than pituitary changes. 779 26

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a hypothalamic peptide that affects anterior pituitary cell function. This study examined the effects of PACAP on prolactin (PRL) release in vivo and on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons in vivo and in vitro. In ovariectomized rats, intravenous injection of PACAP increased circulating PRL levels 3-fold and TH activity in the stalk-median eminence (SME) by 30%. Incubation of the SME with 1 microM PACAP in vitro increased TH activity 2-fold. Intravenous infusion of ovine PRL (oPRL) by an osmotic mini-pump for 2 days in ovariectomized rats increased TH activity in the SME 1.7-fold and reduced circulating concentrations of endogenous rat PRL to 20% of control levels. PACAP induced a 4-fold rise in endogenous rat PRL levels in oPRL-treated rats and a 30% increase in TH activity that was additive to the elevation caused by hyperprolactinemia. In suckled lactating rats, PACAP did not alter circulating PRL levels or TH activity in the SME. When pups were removed from the dams for 4-5 h, systemic injection of PACAP stimulated PRL release without altering TH activity. However, PACAP, when administered in vitro, stimulated TH activity in the SME of lactating rats separated from their pups. These data indicate that PACAP may play a role in augmenting PRL release in female rats. The PACAP-induced rise in PRL release is modest and not due to a decrease in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuronal activity. PACAP increases TH activity in the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons, possibly by a direct action on nerve terminals within the median eminence.
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PMID:Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) increases prolactin release and tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuronal activity. 781 70

In male hamsters, exposure to a short photoperiod results in a significant decrease in median eminence (ME) dopamine (DA) concentrations. The mechanism responsible for this decrease in DA is unknown. The experiments described in this paper were designed to examine the effects of photoperiod on DA metabolism and synthesis in the ME to determine if a change in these processes is responsible for the short-photoperiod-induced decrease in ME DA concentrations. In the first experiment, the metabolism of DA in tuberoinfundibular dopamine (TIDA) neuronal terminals was determined by measuring ME concentrations of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC; a major metabolite of DA) and DA in male and female hamsters housed in long and short photoperiods. In both males and females, exposure to the short photoperiod induced a collapse of the reproductive system and a reduction in circulating prolactin. In males, but not in females, exposure to the short photoperiod reduced ME DA concentrations; however, DOPAC concentrations were not affected by photoperiod. Thus, the decrease in ME DA seen in males is not the result of an increase in DA metabolism. In the second experiment, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the ME of males was determined by injecting animals housed in long and short photoperiods with a L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor (NSD 1015) and measuring 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). Consistent with Experiment 1, ME DA concentrations were significantly decreased in gonadally regressed males housed in a short photoperiod; however, ME DOPA accumulation was not affected. Thus, the observed decrease in DA is not the result of a decrease in TH activity in the ME. The results of the experiments presented here indicate that (1) in males but not females, the decrease in circulating prolactin seen in animals housed in a short photoperiod for 12 weeks is associated with a decrease in ME DA concentrations, and (2) the decrease in ME DA seen in males housed in a short photoperiod is not the result of an increase in DA metabolism or a decrease in synthesis by TIDA neurons.
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PMID:The effect of short-photoperiod exposure on tuberoinfundibular dopamine neurons in male and female Syrian hamsters. 787 72

The effects of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the activity of brain dopaminergic neurons might be subject to gonadal influence. In this work, we tested this hypothesis in relation to the effects of THC on tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) activity, the anterior pituitary sensitivity to dopamine (DA) and prolactin (PRL) secretion. To this end, we examined the effects of an acute dose of this cannabinoid administered during different phases of the estrous cycle in the morning or afternoon. The results were as follows. THC, administered during the morning of estrus, stimulated TIDA activity as reflected by increases in DA and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) contents and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the medial basal hypothalamus. This was accompanied by an increase in the responsiveness of the anterior pituitary to DA, as reflected by the increase in the density of D2 receptors and the corresponding decrease in PRL release. By contrast, plasma PRL levels increased when THC was administered on the afternoon of estrus, in parallel with a significant reduction in the number of D2 receptors in the anterior pituitary gland and no effects on TIDA activity. A similar decrease in the anterior pituitary density of D2 receptors, but with no changes in plasma PRL levels, was observed when THC was administered during the morning of diestrus. This effect was not accompanied by changes in TIDA activity either.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Acute effects of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on tuberoinfundibular dopamine activity, anterior pituitary sensitivity to dopamine and prolactin release vary as a function of estrous cycle. 790 59

Labelling patterns of immunoreactive prolactin (IR-PRL)-containing and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-containing nerve terminals of the median eminence (ME) were compared in young adult (aged 3 months) and old (aged 24 months) male Wistar rats. In the young rats, IR-PRL- and TH-immunostained fibres extended throughout the external most layer of the ME. In the old rats, a significant decrease in the intensity of labelling of IR-PRL terminals was observed in this layer, with a slight reduction in the extent of labelling. As far as TH terminals were concerned, no difference could be detected between young and old animals.
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PMID:Evidence for an age-dependent decrease in the immunoreactive prolactin-containing terminals of the median eminence of male rats. 790 27

The mechanism of the short-term activation by prolactin (PRL) of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons was examined in vitro on hypothalamic slices from ovariectomized rats. TH activity (determined by 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine accumulation in the median eminence after blockade of decarboxylase with NSD 1055) showed a dose-dependent increase within 2 h of incubation of the hypothalamic slices with PRL. To determine whether a phosphorylation process was involved in this increase in TH activity, we studied the sensitivity of the enzyme to dopamine (DA) feedback inhibition. In control median eminences, two kinetically different forms of TH coexisted, one exhibiting a Ki(DA) value of 29.92 +/- 0.49 microM, the other being approximately 15-fold more sensitive to DA inhibition with a Ki(DA) of 1.96 +/- 0.09 microM, likely corresponding to a phosphorylated and active form and to a nonphosphorylated and less active form, respectively. After PRL treatment, the TH form of low Ki(DA) remained unaffected, whereas the Ki(DA) of the purported active form of TH increased to 62.6 +/- 0.8 microM, suggesting an increase in the enzyme phosphorylation. This increase in the Ki(DA) of TH was selectively prevented by GF 109203X, a potent and selective inhibitor of protein kinase C, but not by a specific inhibitor of protein kinase A or calmodulin. Finally, this action of PRL could be mimicked by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (a direct activator of protein kinase C). These results suggest that PRL, at the median eminence level, activates TH by increasing the enzyme phosphorylation and that this action may involve an activation of protein kinase C.
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PMID:Evidence for protein kinase C involvement in the short-term activation by prolactin of tyrosine hydroxylase in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons. 790 22

Estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) interact to influence tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuronal activity and contribute to the control of prolactin (PRL) release. This study examined tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA signal levels in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the stalk-median eminence after 1 week of steroid treatment and related these to circulating PRL levels. Ovariectomized rats were untreated (control) or were implanted with E2, P4 or both E2 and P4 pellets and were sacrificed after 7 days at either 10:00 or 18:00 h. Some E2 + P4-treated rats were injected with either RU 486 or its vehicle at 12-hour intervals for the last 3 of the 7 days of steroid treatment. Tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA signal levels in the arcuate nucleus were decreased by 70% at both 10:00 and 18:00 h in the E2-treated rats compared to control rats. P4 alone had no effect on tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA levels, but reversed the E2-induced decrease so that mRNA levels in the E2 + P4-treated rats were similar to control levels. The progesterone antagonist RU 486 blocked this effect of P4, supporting the observation of decreased mRNA levels in E2-treated rats. Steroid treatment had no effect on tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA levels in the medial zona incerta. Tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the stalk-median eminence was similar at 10:00 and 18:00 h in control rats, and was decreased by 25 and 36% at 10:00 and 18:00 h, respectively, in E2-treated rats. P4 alone had no effect on tyrosine hydroxylase activity, but reversed the E2-induced decrease in enzyme activity to control levels at both 10:00 and 18:00 h. In contrast to the effect of RU 486 on tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA, tyrosine hydroxylase activity in E2 + P4-treated rats was not significantly altered by RU 486 at either 10:00 or 18:00 h. Circulating PRL levels were elevated in the E2-treated and E2 + P4-treated rats. A diurnal PRL rise was evident at 18:00 h in E2-treated rats, but was abolished by concomitant treatment with P4. The diurnal PRL surge was re-established in E2 + P4-treated rats after administration of RU 486, whereas basal circulating PRL levels were not altered by RU 486. These data indicate that P4 antagonizes the profound inhibitory effect or E2 on tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA content in the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Progesterone reverses the estradiol-induced decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA levels in the arcuate nucleus. 790 70

Mice homozygous for the recessive 'Ames' dwarf mutation have undetectable serum or pituitary prolactin (PRL). Accompanying this pituitary deficiency is a marked reduction of dopamine (DA) and its rate-limiting synthetic enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in PRL-regulating tuberoinfundibular hypothalamic neurons. In order to determine whether this deficit in adult Ames dwarf mice is congenital or arises postnatally, brains of dwarf (df/df) and normal (DF/?) littermate mice were assessed for TH immunoreactivity from 7 days through 2 months of age. Numbers of TH-positive neurons were counted in three hypothalamic DA areas: tuberoinfundibular A12, medial zona incerta A13, and anterior periventricular A14. There was an increase in the number of TH-positive neurons between 7 and 21 days of age in A12 and A14, but not in A13, for both DF/? and df/df mice. Between 21 days and 2 months of age, cell numbers were the same in all three areas in DF/? mice and in A13 and A14 in df/df mice. However, A12 TH-positive cell number in dwarfs decreased significantly (p < 0.01) between 21 days and 2 months, and was markedly lower (p < 0.001) in df/df than in DF/? mice at 2 months of age. The results emphasize the specificity of the dopaminergic neuron reduction in the Ames dwarf, which is restricted to the PRL-regulating tuberoinfundibular region. The data also indicate that the dwarf DA/TH deficit has an onset in late postnatal development, suggesting a response to absence of target PRL, rather than a primary hypothalamic effect of the dwarf mutation.
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PMID:Postnatal reduction in number of hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons in prolactin-deficient dwarf mice. 790 41


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