Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) leads to the development of hypertension. Because glucocorticoids can affect the nitric oxide system at several sites, the present study tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression may be altered in ACTH-induced and corticosterone-induced hypertension in the rat. This was addressed by measuring Nos1, Nos2, and Nos3 mRNA in the kidney, adrenal gland, heart, and hypothalamus of 16 ACTH-treated and 16 vehicle-treated rats as well as in 10 corticosterone-treated and 10 control rats. In addition, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were used to confirm changes by detection of Nos in RNA and NOS protein in tissues. Systolic blood pressure of ACTH and corticosterone rats was elevated (165+/-6 and 162+/-11 mm Hg; P<0.001 versus control). Each Nos isoform mRNA was measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction technique. In ACTH rats, mRNA for Nos2 was reduced in renal cortex by 58+/-5% and in medulla by 68+/-7%; for Nos3, mRNA reductions of 59+/-6% and 51+/-11% were seen (P<0.001 after Hochberg correction for multiple comparisons). In corticosterone rats, Nos2 mRNA decreased in cortex by 68+/-5% and in medulla by 62+/-6%; Nos3 mRNA by 50+/-8% in cortex, and Nos1 by 29+/-7% in medulla (all P<0.001 after Hochberg correction). Reductions seen in kidney were supported by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Apart from a 62+/-2% decrease in Nos2 mRNA in adrenal of ACTH rats (corrected P<0.05), no significant changes were seen in the other nonrenal tissues for any isoform. In conclusion, we have shown for the first time that the physiological components of glucocorticoid action (ACTH and corticosterone) when given chronically in vivo reduce Nos2 and Nos3 expression in the kidney. Such changes are consistent with a role in hypertension for ACTH and corticosterone.
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PMID:Decreased renal expression of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in adrenocorticotropin-induced and corticosterone-induced hypertension. 1130 19

In the last few years it has become apparent that the skin is a locoregional source for several proopiomelanocortin-derived peptides including alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropin, and beta-endorphin. The enzymes that regulate expression of these neuropeptides are the prohormone convertases 1 and 2. In this study we demonstrate, by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western immunoblotting, that cultured human dermal fibroblasts express prohormone convertases 1 and 2 as well as 7B2, which is an essential cofactor for enzymatic activity of prohormone convertase 2. Immunofluorescence studies revealed prohormone convertase 1 to be mainly expressed in the perinuclear region in vesicular structures resembling the trans-Golgi network, whereas prohormone convertase 2 was found in the trans-Golgi network as well as in vesicular structures diffusely distributed in the peripheral cytoplasm. Expression of both enzymes was also confirmed in fibroblasts of normal adult human skin by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against prohormone convertases 1 and 2 and vimentin. To assess the relevance of prohormone convertase 1 and 2 expression in human dermal fibroblasts, we studied the expression of proopiomelanocortin and proopiomelanocortin-derived peptides. Proopiomelanocortin expression was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western immunoblotting. Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropin, and beta-endorphin were mainly located in vesicular structures as demonstrated by immunofluorescence. Production of these peptides was confirmed by radioimmunoassay, immunoradiometric assay, or enzyme immunoassay. Among several stimuli tested, interleukin-1 was found to upregulate production of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in human dermal fibroblasts. In summary, we have shown that human dermal fibroblasts express the enzymatic machinery for proopiomelanocortin processing and make proopiomelanocortin, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropin, and beta-endorphin. Production of proopiomelanocortin peptides by human dermal fibroblasts may be relevant for fibroblast functions such as collagen degradation and/or regulation of dermal immune responses.
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PMID:Human dermal fibroblasts express prohormone convertases 1 and 2 and produce proopiomelanocortin-derived peptides. 1151 Dec 98

Leptin receptor (leptin-R) is a polypeptide consisting of a single transmembrane-spanning component. Recent studies performed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) have shown the production of leptin-R in various tissues including the pituitary, hypothalamus and reproductive organs. The localization of leptin-R protein in the pituitary gland, however, has not been extensively studied. This study deals with the expression of leptin-R in the normal rat pituitary gland, which was disclosed primarily in the plasma membrane fraction by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical staining methods. Double immunohistochemical staining revealed that the colocalization of leptin-R and anterior pituitary hormone expression was seen mainly in growth hormone (GH)-secreting cells (97.4 +/- 1.3%; GH-positive cells/leptin-R-positive cells), but in less than 1% of prolactin (PRL)-, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-, thyroid-stimulating hormone-beta (TSH beta)- and follicle-stimulating hormone-beta (FSH beta)/luteinizing hormone-beta (LH beta)-positive cells. In contrast, leptin was localized most frequently in FSH beta/LH beta- and less frequently in TSH beta-positive cells. The above findings suggest that, in the rat anterior pituitary gland, there are paracrine relationships between leptin-producing cells and cells with leptin-R, which may regulate the function of GH cells.
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PMID:Expression and localization of leptin receptor in the normal rat pituitary gland. 1157 88

We previously reported that the human melanoma cell line, SEKI, induces severe weight loss in nude mice. In the present study, we examined the expression of weight-regulating neuropeptide mRNAs in the hypothalamus of this cancer cachectic model by using a sensitive quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method and in situ hybridization. mRNA levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the whole hypothalamus were elevated significantly in the SEKI mice as compared with control mice. In situ hybridization showed that NPY and CRH mRNA were upregulated in the arcuate nucleus and the paraventricular nucleus, respectively. There were no significant differences in melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), orexin (OX), and cholecystokinin mRNA levels between the SEKI and control mice. These results suggest that the NPYergic system is functioning in the rodent model of cancer cachexia; however, the role of the CRHergic system in energy homeostasis remains to be elucidated. This is the first report of the hypothalamic neuropeptide response to cachexia-inducing human cells.
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PMID:Hypothalamic appetite-regulating neuropeptide mRNA levels in cachectic nude mice bearing human tumor cells. 1158 96

The expression of mRNA of growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and the common glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit (alphaGSU) was studied by means of single cell reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in male mouse pituitary cells at key time points of fetal and postnatal development: embryonic day 16 (E16); postnatal day 1 (P1) and young-adult age (P38). At E16, the hormone mRNAs examined were detectable, although only in 44% of total cells. Most of the hormone-positive cells expressed only one of the tested hormone mRNAs (monohormonal) but 14% of them contained more than one hormone mRNA (plurihormonal cells). Combinations of GH mRNA with PRL mRNA, of alphaGSU mRNA with GH and/or PRL mRNA and of POMC mRNA with GH and/or PRL mRNA or alphaGSU mRNA were found. As expected, the proportion of hormone-positive cells rose as the mouse aged. The proportions of plurihormonal cells followed a developmental pattern independent of that of monohormonal cells and characteristic for each hormone mRNA examined. Cells coexpressing POMC mRNA with GH or PRL mRNA significantly rose in proportion between E16 and P1, while the proportion of cells coexpressing GH and PRL mRNA markedly increased between P1 and P38. The occurrence of cells displaying combined expression of alphaGSU mRNA with GH and/or PRL mRNA did not significantly change during development. Remarkably, the population of cells expressing PRL mRNA only, was larger at E16 than at P1 and expanded again thereafter. In conclusion, the normal mouse pituitary develops a cell population that is capable of expressing multiple hormone mRNAs, thereby combining typical phenotypes of different cell lineages. These plurihormonal cells are already present during embryonic life. This population is of potential physiological relevance because development-related factors appear to determine which hormone mRNAs are preferentially coexpressed. Coexpression of multiple hormone mRNAs may represent a mechanism to respond to temporally increased endocrine demands. The data also suggest that the control of combined hormone expression is different from that of single hormone expression, raising questions about the current view on pituitary cell lineage specifications.
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PMID:Ontogeny of plurihormonal cells in the anterior pituitary of the mouse, as studied by means of hormone mRNA detection in single cells. 1215 63

The correlation of growth hormone (GH) mRNA abundance and expression of specific transcription factors was studied in pituitaries of panhypopituitary (Ames df/df and Snell dwJ/dwJ dwarf), isolated GH-deficient (lit/lit), and GH-overproducing (growth hormone-releasing hormone [GHRH] transgenic) mice compared with normal littermates. A fluorescence-based reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay was developed for seven target mRNAs: GH, prolactin (PRL), pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), alpha-subunit of the glycoprotein hormones (alphaSU), Pit-1, Prop-1, and Zn-16. Amplification parameters for each of these primer pairs were determined in order to calculate initial mRNA transcript number. The reproducibility of the assay was found to be +/-10% for either Pit-1 or Zn-16 mRNAs measured in characterized murine GHFT1-5 somatotroph precursor cells. The cell extracts also showed an increased abundance of both Zn-16 and Pit-1 mRNAs when compared with whole pituitary extracts. Measurement of copy number in normal pituitaries showed that for every 10(6) GH or PRL mRNAs, there were 3 x 10(5) POMC, 4 x 10(4) alphaSU, 2 x 10(3) Pit-1, and only 70 Zn-16 or Prop-1 transcripts. Transcript abundance in GH-altered mice as a percentage of copy number per normal gland showed that POMC was significantly reduced in dwJ/dwJ (p < 0.01) and df/df (p < 0.05) mice. AlphaSU mRNA was reduced in df/df (p < 0.05), dwJ/dwJ (p < 0.05), and lit/lit (p < 0.05) mice, but not in GHRH-excess mice. PRL mRNA was not detected in dwarf mice, reduced to 52% of normal in lit/lit (p < 0.05), and unchanged in GHRH-excess animals. GH mRNA was not detected in dwarf mice, reduced to 1.3% in lit/lit (p < 0.005), and increased to 242% in GHRH-excess mice (p < 0.05). Pit-1 mRNA was not detected in dwarf mice, was 2.9% of normal in lit/lit (p < 0.005) mice, and increased to 200% in GHRH-excess mice (p < 0.05). Prop-1 was not present in dwarf mice, was decreased to 1.4% in lit/lit (p < 0.01), and increased to 223% in GHRH-excess mice (p < 0.05). Zn-16 abundance in df/df mice was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) to 4.8% of normals, to 6.3% of normals in dwJ/dwJ (p < 0.005), to 6.1% of normals in lit/lit (p < 0.005) mice, and significantly elevated in GHRH-excess mice to 197% (p < 0.05). Altered pituitary mRNA abundance was found for several products not previously measured, or thought not to be affected by these mutations. Correlation of GH mRNA abundance with transcription factor copy number showed a significant correlation for Pit-1, Prop-1, and Zn-16. These quantitative analyses provide the first in vivo evidence that Zn-16 mRNA abundance correlates with GH expression.
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PMID:Transcript abundance in mouse pituitaries with altered growth hormone expression quantified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction implicates transcription factor Zn-16 in gene regulation in vivo. 1216 26

The physiologic role of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) was examined in the ovary. We investigated the effects of CRH on steroidogenesis in rat and human granulosa cells in vitro as well as the direct effects of CRH on the ovary in vivo. We further examined the gene expression of CRH in human granulosa cells. CRH significantly inhibited the production of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in rat and human granulosa cells in vitro. These inhibitory effects were completely abolished by alpha-helical CRH, a CRH receptor antagonist. Forskolin-induced increase in E2 and P4 production was attenuated by CRH. On the other hand, CRH significantly increased serum concentrations of E2 and corticosterone in vivo in hypophysectomized rats, but this increase was completely blocked by adrenalectomy. It is probable that these effects did not result from a direct action on the ovary but were an indirect effect via the adrenal gland. Finally, by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction we demonstrated that CRH mRNA was expressed in human granulosa cells. Our findings indicate that CRH exerts inhibitory effects on steroidogenesis in rat and human granulosa cells, acting through the CRH receptor. These effects are attributed to cellular events downstream of cyclic adenosine monophosphate generation. CRH seems to modulate steroidogenesis via autocrine or paracrine actions in the ovary.
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PMID:Role of corticotropin-releasing hormone in ovarian steroidogenesis. 1245 Mar 17

A cDNA membrane array displaying 1183 probes was used to detect hypothalamic and pituitary changes in gene expression accompanying ageing and age-associated pituitary macroadenomas. Four groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats (3-, 15-, 24-month-old and 24-month-old with prolactinoma) were compared in two independent hybridizations. cDNA array data were confirmed and completed by comparative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction on selected genes. The expression of 454 and 116 mRNAs was detected in hypothalamus and pituitary, respectively. Growth hormone (GH) mRNA alone represented 85% of total gene expression in the gland of young rats, and other pituitary hormone transcripts 2.8%, while melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) mRNA, the most expressed neuropeptide transcript involved in neuroendocrine regulation, accounted for only 0.8% of total hypothalamic transcripts. The proportion of genes modified in the hypothalamus and pituitary was rather modest: 1.5% and 5.2%, respectively, for ageing per se, and 1.1% and 5.2% for age-associated macroprolactinomas. Among pituitary specific RNAs, GH mRNA expression was notably decreased with age. At the hypothalamic level, expression of genes directly involved in GH regulation, such as somatostatin and growth hormone-releasing hormone, was not altered, while neuropeptide transcripts involved in feeding behaviour [orexin/hypocretin, MCH, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART)] were significantly altered. In addition, a few ubiquitous transcripts (hnRNP-K, PFKm, CCND 2, calponin and set) were differently affected in both tissues. Modifications in hypothalamic orexigenic (orexin, MCH) and anorexigenic (POMC, CART) gene expression are in keeping with an age-associated decrease in energy consumption but a higher one in the presence of macroprolactinomas.
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PMID:Age-associated changes in hypothalamic and pituitary neuroendocrine gene expression in the rat. 1271 10

Stress triggered cardiovascular disorders are associated with elevated activity of the sympathetic nervous system, the major source of elevated plasma norepinephrine levels. Our previous studies revealed that administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) increases the gene expression of norepinephrine biosynthetic enzymes and several neuropeptides in rat sympathetic ganglia as much as stress. Here, we examine whether an ACTH-responsive receptor is expressed in rat superior cervical (SCG) and stellate ganglia (StG). Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) we found expression of MC-2 receptor mRNA in these ganglia. Identical DNA fragments were amplified with mRNA from SCG, StG or from adrenal cortex. Sequencing revealed extensive homology to published sequences of mouse and human MC-2 receptor. Real time PCR was used to quantitate MC-2 receptor mRNA levels in the SCG under basal conditions and following immobilization stress. Immobilization stress triggered a large increase in MC-2 receptor mRNA in SCG. The results provide the first evidence that rat sympathetic ganglia express MC-2 receptor gene and are a target tissue for the peripheral actions of ACTH in response to stress.
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PMID:Adrenocorticotropic hormone (MC-2) receptor mRNA is expressed in rat sympathetic ganglia and up-regulated by stress. 1281 27

This study tested the hypothesis that stress-induced opioid peptides may have stimulative and inhibitive influence on mu opioid receptor (MOR) mRNA expression and hypothalamus. Several studies have investigated the effects of stress on MOR mRNA expression in rat brain, but almost none compared the response to single versus repeated stresses. Here, we examined the effects of single and repeated stress on MOR mRNA expression in different rat brain regions using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Following a single episode of restraint stress for 4 h (1R) or 4 h per day on 2 (2R) or 3 (3R) consecutive days, the hypothalamus and midbrain were removed immediately and MOR mRNA levels in both regions were determined by RT-PCR. Blood samples were also collected for simultaneous measurement of serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CS). MOR mRNA expression was significantly higher in both regions in the 2R group, whereas expression levels in the 3R group did not differ from controls. In the 1R group, hypothalamic MOR expression was equivalent to that in controls, but expression was significantly higher in the midbrain. Serum ACTH levels were significantly higher only in the 1R group, whereas serum CS was significantly higher in both the 1R and 3R groups. Our findings indicate that the influence of restraint stress on MOR mRNA expression in the hypothalamus is different than in the midbrain region in rats. Endogenous opioid peptides released in response to stress may paradoxically have an effect on the HPA axis.
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PMID:Effects of single and repeated prolonged stress on mu-opioid receptor mRNA expression in rat gross hypothalamic and midbrain homogenates. 1286 58


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