Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.1.1.8 (cholinesterase)
 12,691 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

1. A sensitive and specific neuropeptide Y (NPY) radio-immunoassay has been developed. This radio-immunoassay does not detect the NPY-related peptides pancreatic polypeptide or peptide YY. NPY extracted from rat plasma using sequential C18 sorbent and affinity chromatography co-eluted with synthetic rat NPY when applied to high pressure liquid chromatography. 2. The procedure of stabilization of platelets followed by high speed centrifugation reduced basal values of NPY by 60%, and this may be consistent with removal of platelets that release NPY. Administration of the cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine (0.3 mg/kg), intravenously, produced a small but significant increase (39%) from basal concentrations of NPY. 3. NPY concentrations in young (2-3-month-old) Sprague-Dawley and Fisher 944 rats were similar; however, NPY concentrations were significantly increased (55%) in 2-year-old Fisher 944 rats. Similar to plasma concentrations of noradrenaline, NPY levels increase with age.
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PMID:Neuropeptide Y radio-immunoassay: characterization and application. 179 47

Confocal scanning laser microscopy has been employed with immunocytochemical techniques to map the distribution of serotoninergic and peptidergic components in the nervous system of the monogenean gill-parasite, Diclidophora merlangi; results are compared with the distribution of cholinergic components, following histochemical staining for cholinesterase activity. While all three neurochemical elements are present in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the cholinergic and peptidergic systems dominate the CNS, whereas the PNS has a majority of serotoninergic nerve fibres. The cholinergic and peptidergic neuronal pathways overlap extensively in staining patterns, suggesting possible co-localization of acetylcholine and neuropeptides. Within the peptidergic nervous system, immunoreactivity to the pancreatic polypeptide family of peptides and FMRFamide were the most prevalent. Gastrin/cholecystokinin (CCK)-, neuropeptide Y-, substance P-, neurokinin A- and eledoisin-like immunoreactivities have been demonstrated for the first time in a monogenean parasite. The gastrin/CCK- and tachykinin-like immunoreactivities had an apparently restricted distribution in the worm.
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PMID:The serotoninergic, cholinergic and peptidergic components of the nervous system in the monogenean parasite, Diclidophora merlangi: a cytochemical study. 234 60

Young adult rats received either unilateral or bilateral ibotenic acid infusions in their nucleus basalis, destroying most of the cholinesterase-staining neurons in that region. Cerebral cortex levels of choline acetyltransferase, somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, and monoamines were then assayed 2.5 and 10 months after bilateral lesions, or, 2.5, 10, and 14 months after unilateral lesions. Entorhinal and cerebral cortex levels of several amino acid transmitters were also measured. As expected, choline acetyltransferase activity was decreased in the frontal cortex ipsilateral to the ibotenic acid infusion in unilaterally or bilaterally lesioned animals. Parietal cortex concentrations of somatostatin and neuropeptide Y were altered by lesioning in a complicated, time-dependent manner. Thus, while unilateral lesions transiently decreased or had no effect on these neuropeptide levels, bilateral lesions elevated the level of each neuropeptide by over 100% at 10 months. Other cortical transmitter systems investigated appeared to be less affected by nucleus basalis-lesions. Unilateral lesions had no effect on prefrontal cortex norepinephrine, serotonin, or dopamine content at 14 months post-lesioning. These different neurochemical effects of unilateral and bilateral nucleus basalis lesions may be important for developing a model for the trans-synaptic effects of cortical cholinergic deafferentation.
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PMID:Different long-term effects of bilateral and unilateral nucleus basalis lesions on rat cerebral cortical neurotransmitter content. 257 19

This study examined the amygdaloid complex in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We compared the distribution and morphology of somatostatin (SOM-) and neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive (NPY-IR) neurons in the amygdala with the distribution of neuritic plaques (NP) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) staining patterns in various subnuclei. We found that in AD, there was an increase in the number of small, atrophic neurons for both SOM and NPY, and subregional analysis revealed similar size reductions in all subnuclei. In contrast, the highest density of NP was found in the corticomedial nuclei and densest staining for AChE in the basal nucleus. Although NPY- and SOM-IR fibers were occasionally associated with NP, a dense, morphologically preserved peptidergic fiber-network was found in all areas including subnuclei with high numbers of NP. Our study indicates that atrophic SOM- and NPY-IR neurons are not correlated with the subregional distribution of NP or cholinesterase staining pattern of the amygdala, and suggests that alterations in SOM and NPY neurons are not characteristics of the primary pathogenic process that underlie the formation of NP or cholinergic cell loss in AD.
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PMID:Neuropeptides and neuropathology in the amygdala in Alzheimer's disease: relationship between somatostatin, neuropeptide Y and subregional distribution of neuritic plaques. 290 51

In order to delineate the type and distribution of autonomic nerves within the atrial and ventricular myocardium of the neonatal human heart, numerous samples of atrial and ventricular myocardium from 4 neonatal human hearts with no cardiac anomaly, freshly obtained at necropsy, were processed and studied using immunohistochemical and enzyme histochemical techniques. The antisera included those used to demonstrate protein gene product (PGP) 9.5 as a general neural marker, dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) as indicators for presumptive sympathetic neural tissue, and neuropeptide Y (NPY). A histochemical technique was used to reveal tissue cholinesterase activity. Numerous PGP-immunoreactive (PGP-IR) nerves were seen in the atrial myocardium, forming perivascular plexuses and lying in close apposition to myocardial cells. Fewer PGP-IR nerves were found amongst the myocardium of the ventricles. Both DBH-IR and TH-IR nerves demonstrated a similar pattern of distribution as that of PGP-IR nerves; in the atria, however, they were less numerous, while in the ventricles, their density approximated to that of PGP-IR nerves. Relatively few NPY-IR nerves were observed either in the atrial or the ventricular myocardium. The density of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) positive nerves in the walls of the atria was less than that of PGP-IR nerves although their distribution patterns were similar. In the ventricles, AChE positive nerves were rarely observed. It is concluded that the neonatal human heart possesses a rich supply of autonomic nerves. The atria possess at least two populations of nerves, presumably sympathetic and vagal, whereas the walls of the ventricles are innervated principally by presumptive sympathetic nerves.
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PMID:The innervation of the human myocardium at birth. 759 71

Islets transplanted beneath the kidney capsule become reinnervated during the first 3-4 months after implantation by both afferent and efferent nerve fibers. To evaluate the importance of the implantation organ for this process, the present study compared both the degree and the types of nerve fibers reinnervating islets transplanted into the liver, kidney, and spleen. For this purpose, 150 syngeneic islets were grafted under the kidney capsule of C57BL/6 mice. In addition, the same animals were injected with 150 islets into the spleen or liver. All animals were killed 14 weeks after transplantation, after which the graft-bearing organs were processed for indirect immunofluorescence for neuropeptides and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and with acetyl cholinesterase (AchE) staining to visualize nerve fibers. Both afferent (containing substance P and/or calcitonin gene-related peptide) and parasympathetic (containing vasoactive intestinal peptide or AchE) nerve fibers were absent from islets implanted into the spleen; an occasional CGRP fiber was seen in islets implanted into the liver; and all these fibers were regularly seen in islets implanted beneath the renal capsule. The islets implanted into the liver or spleen contained a dense network of sympathetic (containing neuropeptide Y and TH) nerve fibers that was often more dense than in the islet grafts under the kidney capsule. One-fifth of islets implanted into the liver were, however, completely devoid of demonstrable nerve fibers. In conclusion, there are marked differences with regard to the pattern of reinnervation of islets transplanted to different implantation sites.
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PMID:Reinnervation of transplanted pancreatic islets. A comparison among islets implanted into the kidney, spleen, and liver. 768 93

Heart rate is regulated by the autonomic nervous system but little is known about the pattern of innervation of the pacemaker in the sinoatrial node, or the subpopulations of nerves involved. Therefore in this study the pacemaker was located using electrophysiological methods and the pattern of innervation established by cholinesterase staining. In subsequent experiments, subpopulations of sympathetic, sensory and parasympathetic nerves were identified. Sympathetic nerves were labelled by glyoxylic acid-induced catecholamine fluorescence or an antiserum raised against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). These experiments showed that the entire sinoatrial node was densely innervated by sympathetic axons, the majority of which were immunoreactive for neuropeptide Y (NPY). There were a few axons which were only immunoreactive for TH. Sensory nerves which were immunoreactive for both substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were also found throughout the sinoatrial node. In the absence of a selective marker for parasympathetic neurons, hearts were extrinsically denervated by placing them in organotypic culture to allow degeneration of extrinsic axons. In this way intrinsic parasympathetic neurons could be characterised. These experiments revealed several distinct populations of parasympathetic nerves which innervated only a small, discrete part of the sinoatrial node. These populations were immunoreactive for NPY, somatostatin (SOM) or vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) alone, or SOM combined with NPY, SOM with dynorphin B, and SOM with SP. These results highlight a remarkable difference in the pattern of innervation of the sinoatrial node by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Furthermore the presence of several distinct populations of autonomic cardiac neurons indicates a further complexity in neuronal regulation of heart rate.
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PMID:Innervation of the pacemaker in guinea-pig sinoatrial node. 801 78

The central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems of the cyclophyllidean tapeworm, Moniezia expansa, were examined for the presence of cholinergic, serotoninergic and peptidergic elements using enzyme cytochemical and immunocytochemical techniques in conjunction with light and confocal scanning laser microscopy. Cholinesterase activity and 5-hydroxytryptamine- and regulatory peptide-immunoreactivities (IRs) were localized to the nerve fibres and cell bodies of all of the major neuronal components in the CNS of the worm, including the cerebral ganglia and connecting commissure, the 10 longitudinal nerve cords and associated transverse ring commissures. Although each of the 3 systems appeared well developed and comprised a significant portion of the nervous system, the serotoninergic constituent was the most highly developed, consisting of a vast array of nerve fibres and cell bodies distributed throughout the strobila of the worm. A close association of cholinesterase reactivity and peptide-IRs was evident throughout the CNS, indicating the possible co-localization of acetylcholine and neuropeptides. Within the PNS, cholinergic activity and serotoninergic- and peptidergic-IRs occurred in the subtegumental network of nerve fibres and somatic musculature. Although all 3 neurochemical elements were present in the acetabula, they were found in different nerve fibres; only cholinergic and peptidergic cell bodies were found. The common genital opening, vagina and ootype regions of the reproductive system displayed a rich innervation of all 3 types of neuronal populations. Within the peptidergic system, immunostaining with antisera raised to the C-terminus of the neuropeptide Y superfamily of peptides and the invertebrate peptides, neuropeptide F (M. expansa) and FMRFamide was the most prevalent. Limited positive-IR for substance P and neurokinin A were also recorded in the CNS of the worm.
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PMID:The cholinergic, serotoninergic and peptidergic components of the nervous system of Moniezia expansa (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea). 831 39

Immunohistochemistry and cholinesterase histochemistry were used to evaluate the structure and neurotransmitter content of the ganglionated plexuses of the human, canine, and opossum (Monodelphis domestica) gallbladders. In each species, the ganglionated plexus consisted of small (mean approximately 4 neurons/ganglion), irregularly dispersed ganglia that were interconnected by bundles of nerve fibers. The density of ganglia was about ten-fold higher in the opossum than in the human or the dog. Immunostaining for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) was accomplished in the human, dog, opossum, and the guinea pig where all neurons were found to express ChAT-immunoreactivity. In the human, immunoreactivities for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were the most abundant followed by substance P (SP). In the dog, immunoreactivity for galanin (GAL) was the strongest, followed closely by VIP and then by SP. NPY-immunoreactive neurons were not observed in the dog, but immunoreactive nerve fibers were seen in the perivascular plexus. In the opossum, immunoreactivity for GAL was the most intense and abundant followed by SP, which was followed by VIP. NPY-immunoreactivity in the opossum was limited to scarce perivascular nerve fibers. Immunoreactivity for calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) was not observed in neuronal somata, but CGRP/SP-immunoreactive nerve fibers were a feature of each species studied. These findings, along with previously published work on the guinea pig, indicate that it is likely that all gallbladder neurons are cholinergic, and that VIP, SP, and NPY and/or GAL are commonly expressed in gallbladder neurons.
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PMID:Structure and chemical coding of human, canine and opossum gallbladder ganglia. 862 95

There is increasing evidence that neuropeptides may be involved in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). This study examines whether neuropeptide distribution in the skin of patients with AD differs from normal controls. The distribution and density of several neuropeptides were examined in lesional and non-lesional skin of AD patients (n = 5) and in normal controls (n = 4) using indirect immunofluorescence and image analysis. Cholinergic innervation was studied using cholinesterase histochemistry. Staining with the general neuronal marker protein gene product 9 x 5 showed a subepidermal network of nerves with fibres penetrating the epidermis, and nerves around blood vessels, sweat glands and hair follicles. Image analysis of nerves around sweat glands showed a significantly higher nerve density in non-lesional compared with both normal controls and lesional skin (P < 0.05); lesional compared with control skin showed no significant difference. In the epidermis the density of nerves was not significantly greater in non-lesional compared with lesional skin and controls. Calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity was similar in all subjects except in three of the AD patients, where more nerves appeared to penetrate the epidermis. Substance P immunoreactivity in the papillary dermis was seen in all AD patients but no controls. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and neuropeptide Y staining were similar in all groups. Acetylcholinesterase-positive nerves were found around sweat glands in all subjects, the staining being greatest in non-lesional and least in lesional skin. Occasional nerves were seen in the papillary dermis in lesional skin of two out of the four patients. We have demonstrated quantitative differences in nerve growth in clinically normal skin of AD patients, and altered cutaneous neuropeptide expression in these patients which may contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. The cause of atopic dermatitis (AD) has not been fully established but it is believed that there is a complex interaction between genetic susceptibility, precipitating environmental factors and disordered immune responsiveness. There is increasing evidence that neuropeptides may be involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Exacerbations of the disease can be provoked by stress, scratching and sweating which may be the result of neurogenic inflammation. One of the first features of an exacerbation is flushing of the affected skin and pruritus. Several neuropeptides that have been identified in human skin are potent inducers of vasodilation and may induce pruritus. Substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) all cause vasodilation when injected intradermally, and SP and CGRP have been shown to be mediators of the weal and flare reaction. Spantide, a competitive antagonist of SP, has been shown to inhibit immediate and delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. Part of these responses may be due to release of histamine and indeed elevated concentrations of histamine have been found in vivo in the skin and plasma of patients with AD. In this study the distribution and density of several neuropeptides were examined in lesional and nonlesional skin of AD patients and in normal controls using indirect immunofluorescence and image analysis. Cholinergic innervation was studied using cholinesterase histochemistry. Because many afferent fibres do not express CGRP or SP, the general neuronal marker protein gene product (PGP 9 x 5) was used to assess the overall nerve supply to the skin.
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PMID:Neuropeptides in the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis. 885 37


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