Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This study was aimed to examine the neuronal and glial response in the hypothalamus and neurohypophysis of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. At various time intervals after induction of diabetes the neurons in the paraventricular- (PVN) and supraoptic- (SON) nucleus showed upregulated arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) immunoexpression, being most pronounced at 2 weeks. Concomitant to this was the hypertrophy of PVN and SON neurons. NMDAR1, which was constitutively and moderately expressed in normal rats, was markedly augmented, being most intense at 4 months. This coincided with the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Contrary to this, the expression of GluR2/3 was progressively downregulated, so that it was hardly detected at 4 months. Both astrocytes and microglia marked by anti-GFAP and OX-42, respectively, appeared activated. In pars nervosa, the projection target of the axon terminals of PVN and SON neurons, massive axons and terminals (Herring bodies) laden with neurosecretions were observed in diabetic rats. Colocalization study showed that the neurosecretions were internalized by activated pituicytes and microglia associated with the axons. The present results suggest that the neurosecretion of PVN and SON neurons is enhanced in diabetes. This is coupled by upregulation of NMDAR1 and nNOS but downregulation of GluR2/3. It is speculated that the glutamate receptors and NO are linked to overactivation of PVN and SON neurons leading ultimately to cell death of some of them. The pituicytes and microglia in pars nervosa would help to modulate the release of neurosecretion.
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PMID:Neuronal and glial response in the rat hypothalamus-neurohypophysis complex with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. 1175 99

Control of penile erection requires the coordination of the hypothalamus and the L6-S1 region of the spinal cord. Erection requires the activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), which is tightly regulated. Because variants of nNOS (penile nNOS: PnNOS) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (truncated NMDAR subunit 1: NMDAR1-T) as well as protein inhibitor of NOS (PIN) have all been located in the pelvic ganglia and penile nerves, this work aims to determine whether these proteins are also present in the hypothalamus. It was found that PnNOS, the brain-type nNOS, and PIN, were expressed in the hypothalamus. In contrast, NMDAR1-T was expressed only in the penis, whereas the brain-type NMDAR1 was present in the brain and sacral spinal cord and not in the penis. PnNOS was found in the media preoptic area, posterior magnocellular, and the parvocellular regions of the paraventricular nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, septohypothalamic nucleus, medial septum, cortex, and in some of the nNOS staining neurons throughout the brain. It was absent in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis. PIN staining was present in neurons of the medial preoptic area, paraventricular nucleus, medial septum, and cortex, but not in the supraoptic nucleus, septohypothalamic nucleus, or organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis. Colocalization between PnNOS and PIN was found in the medial preoptic area, medial septum, and cortex, and less in the paraventricular nucleus. PnNOS and oxytocin were colocalized in the paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus. In hypothalamic extracts, recombinant PIN-GST protein bound to PnNOS in the extracts and partially inhibited NOS activity. These results indicate that both nNOS variants, and their respective regulatory proteins are present and colocalize in the hypothalamic and spinal cord regions involved in penile erection.
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PMID:Penile neuronal nitric oxide synthase and its regulatory proteins are present in hypothalamic and spinal cord regions involved in the control of penile erection. 1257 22