Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.5.4.4 (adenosine deaminase)
 5,136 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Purinergic nerves supply the gastrointestinal tract of vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds, as well as mammals. Their cell bodies are located in Auerbach's plexus and their axons extend in an anal direction before innervating mainly the circular muscle coat. In the stomach they are controlled by preganglionic cholinergic fibres of parasympathetic origin. They are involved in "receptive relaxation" of the stomach, "descending inhibition" in peristalsis and reflex relaxation of oesophageal and internal anal sphincters. The terminal varicosities of purinergic nerves are characterised by a predominance of "large opaque vesicles," which can be distinguished from the "large granular vesicles" found in small numbers in both adrenergic and cholinergic nerves. Stimulation of purinergic nerves with single pulses produces hyperpolarisations of up to 25 mV (inhibitory junction potentials) in smooth muscle cells. These potentials are unaffected by atropine, adrenergic neuron blocking agents or sympathetic denervation, but are abolished by tetrodotoxin. The "rebound contraction" which characteristically follows cessation of purinergic nerve stimulation is probably due to prostaglandin. Evidence that ATP is the transmitter released from purinergic nerves includes: (1) synthesis and storage of ATP in nerves; (2) release of ATP from the nerves when they are stimulated; (3) exogenously applied ATP mimicking the action of nerve-released transmitter, both producing a specific increase in K+ conductance; (4) the presence of Mg-activated ATPase, 5'-nucleotidase and adenosine deaminase, enzymes which inactivate ATP; (5) drugs (including quinidine, some 2-substituted imidazolines, 2-2'pyridylisatogen and dipyridamole) which produce similar blocking or potentiating effects on the response to exogenously applied ATP and nerve stimulation. Speculations are made about the evolution and development of the nervous system, including the possibility that purinergic nerves are a primitive nerve type.
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PMID:Comparative studies of purinergic nerves. 17 88

Projections from the tuberomammillary nucleus (TM) to widespread regions within the hypothalamus were evaluated using a combined immunohistochemical-retrograde fluorescent tracing procedure. Injections of Fluoro-gold into the anterior hypothalamus labelled TM neurons identified by their immunoreactivity for the enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA). Small injections of Fluoro-gold into the posterior hypothalamus also led to the labelling of TM neurons. The numbers of ADA-immunoreactive axonal varicosities were 5 times greater in the hypothalamus than in most other brain regions. The results indicate that the hypothalamus represents a major projection area of the TM.
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PMID:The hypothalamus receives major projections from the tuberomammillary nucleus in rat. 310 29

The intense immunohistochemical reaction for the enzyme adenosine deaminase displayed by neurons in the tuberomammillary nucleus in the rat was used to study the distribution and morphology of cells comprising this nucleus, their fiber fields within the posterior hypothalamus and their projection pathways from the hypothalamus. Neurons immunoreactive for adenosine deaminase were found along ventricular and basal aspects of the hypothalamus from the level of the dorsomedial nucleus to the caudal pole of the mammillary body. Approximately 4500 neurons were seen on each side of the brain. Positive neurons showed a complex distribution, largely avoiding nuclear boundaries within the posterior basal hypothalamus and mammillary body. This distribution is mapped in detail and a nomenclature based on topography is introduced so that different regions of the cell distribution may be discussed more easily. Reactive neurons showed a Golgi-like staining which allowed careful study of their morphology. In general, neurons were large, with major axes of from 22 to 30 micron, and bipolar in shape. A second, smaller cell type, 14-16 micron in diameter was also seen and, although often less intensely stained, it was considered a constituent of tuberomammillary nucleus of the hypothalamus as well. Stained dendritic arbours extended considerable distances from the parent cell bodies and branched regularly. Dendrites showed very sparse spines and had an apparently scalloped surface. Features suggestive of varicose segments of dendrites were also noted. The long, smooth dendrites of positive neurons were often seen to aggregate into bundles which avoided nuclear boundaries and tended to collect adjacent to basal and ventricular surfaces of the posterior hypothalamus. Varicose fibers immunoreactive for adenosine deaminase formed a dense network within the hypothalamus. These fibers were considered to derive from the positive neurons in the tuberomammillary nucleus and were similar to adenosine deaminase-immunoreactive fibers seen throughout much of the rest of the brain. The density of this type of positive fiber was, however, much greater within the hypothalamus. The region of the posterior basal hypothalamus also contained relatively sparse populations of adenosine deaminase-positive fibers, apparently distinct from this network. These consisted of a field of fine fibers in the median division of the medial mammillary nucleus and a few large varicosities in the dorsolateral part of the median eminence.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:The organization and hypothalamic projections of the tuberomammillary nucleus in the rat: an immunohistochemical study of adenosine deaminase-positive neurons and fibers. 343 80

Based on the importance of tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) as a target for feeding/arousal-related functions, we aimed in the present study to investigate hypothalamic neuronal origin of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) fibers projecting to the histaminergic nucleus. In the first series of experiments, we examined NPY (or CART) fiber distribution within the boundary of adenosine deaminase (ADA)-immunoreactive (ir) TMN regions; extensive NPY (or CART)-ir axon terminals were observed in E4 (TMMd), E3 (TMMv), and E2 (TMVr) subdivisions. NPY varicosities co-contained vesicular GABA transporters (vGAT). CART boutons, however, contained either vGAT or vesicular glutamate transporters (vGLU), which suggested dual (or multiple) origins of CART fibers. Based on the previous observation on melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)-ir neuronal elements in the TMN, their coexistence with CART peptide was examined in detail. In E4 subdivision, approximately 40.8% of MCH-ir somata co-contained CART, but the proportion was reduced to 24.1% in E3 region. In E2 and E1 (TMVc) regions, only MCH-ir axon terminals existed without any MCH-ir somata. In the second series of experiments, we investigated hypothalamic neuronal origin of NPY (or CART) fibers projecting to the TMN. The arcuate nucleus (Arc) was the sole source of hypothalamic NPY fibers projecting to the nucleus. In contrast, CART fibers in the TMN originated from the Arc as well as the other hypothalamic nuclei including the retrochiasmatic nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, lateral hypothalamus (LH), zona incerta (ZI), and dorsal hypothalamic area. Quantitative analysis showed that arcuate CART projection to the TMN occupied approximately 23.5% of the total hypothalamic CART input to the nucleus, while the rest originated mainly from the LH and ZI. The present observations suggested that the TMN might play a key role in energy balance and arousal, by receiving periphery-derived, first-order NPY (or CART) inputs from the Arc as well as second-order (and downstream) CART inputs from the other hypothalamic nuclei.
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PMID:Hypothalamic neuronal origin of neuropeptide Y (NPY) or cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) fibers projecting to the tuberomammillary nucleus of the rat. 2792 37