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)

The magnocellular neurones of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS) play a vital role in the maintenance of body homeostasis by regulating oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) secretion from the posterior pituitary. During hyperosmolality, OT and VP mRNA levels are known to increase by approximately two-fold, whereas during chronic hypoosmolality, OT and VP mRNA levels decrease to approximately 10-20% of basal levels. In these studies, we evaluated changes in cell size associated with these physiological conditions. Cell and nuclear sizes of neurones in the supraoptic nucleus (SON), the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract (LOT) and the medial habenular nucleus (MHB) were measured from neurones identified by in situ hybridization histochemistry for beta(III)-tubulin mRNA, and measurements were made from OT and AVP magnocellular neurones in the SON after phenotypic identification by immunohistochemistry. Under hypoosmolar conditions, the cell and nuclear sizes of OT and VP magnocellular neurones decreased to approximately 60% of basal values, whereas cell and nuclear sizes of OT and VP neurones in hyperosmolar rats increased to approximately 170% of basal values. In contrast, neither hyperosmolality, nor hypoosmolality significantly affected cell and nuclear sizes in the LOT and MHB. These results confirm previous studies that showed that magnocellular neurones increase cell size in response to hyperosmolar conditions and, for the first time, demonstrate a marked decrease in cell size in the SON in response to chronic hypoosmolar conditions. These dramatic changes in cell and nuclear size directly parallel changes in OT and VP gene expression in the magnocellular neurones of the SON and, consequently, are consistent with the pronounced bidirectional changes in gene expression and cellular activity found during these osmotic perturbations. Our results therefore support the concept of global alterations in the synthetic activity of magnocellular OT and AVP neurones in response to extracellular osmolality.
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PMID:Chronic hypoosmolality induces a selective decrease in magnocellular neurone soma and nuclear size in the rat hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus. 1112 13

Hyperosmolality is a potent stimulus for the secretion of oxytocin. Oxytocinergic neurons are modulated by estrogen and oxytocin secretion in rats varies according to the phase of the estrous cycle, with higher activity during proestrus. We investigated the oxytocin secretion induced by an osmotic stimulus (0.5 M NaCl) in female rats. Plasma oxytocin and the oxytocin contents in the neurohypophysis and the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei were determined during the morning (8-9 h) and afternoon (17-18 h) of the estrous cycle and after ovariectomy followed or not by hormone replacement. Plasma oxytocin peaked in control animals during proestrus. Oxytocin content decreased in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei during proestrus and estrus compared to diestrus and increased in the neurohypophysis during proestrus morning. No significant difference was observed in the oxytocin content of the neurohypophysis, nuclei or plasma between ovariectomized animals and ovariectomized animals treated with estrogen or estrogen plus progesterone. Therefore, any ovarian factor other than estrogen or progesterone seems to play a direct or indirect role in the increase in oxytocin secretion. The osmotic stimulus caused an increase in plasma oxytocin throughout the estrous cycle. A reduction in oxytocin content during diestrus and an increase during proestrus were observed in the paraventricular nuclei. In ovariectomized animals, the treatment with estrogen potentiated the response of oxytocin to the osmotic stimulus, with the response being even stronger in the case of estrogen plus progesterone. In conclusion, the ovarian steroids estrogen plus progesterone could modulate the osmoreceptor mechanisms related to oxytocin secretion.
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PMID:Oxytocin secretion induced by osmotic stimulation in rats during the estrous cycle and after ovariectomy and hormone replacement therapy. 1237 65

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), first discovered in the heart, has been also detected in various brain regions involved in the control of cardiovascular function and water and sodium balance. The anteroventral region of the third ventricle (AV3V) and the subfornical organ (SFO) have ANP-immunoreactive projections towards the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei of the hypothalamus. Extracellular fluid (ECF) hyperosmolality stimulates the secretion of oxytocin (OT) which induces ANP release by the atrium. On the other hand, passive immunoneutralization of ANP reduces OT secretion in response to ECF hypertonicity. Previous studies have shown the co-localization of ANP and OT in PVN and SON neurons and in the periventricular region, as well as the presence of ANPergic and oxytocinergic neurons in the median eminence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the OT and ANP content in the SON and PVN of the hypothalamus and in the posterior pituitary (PP) after an osmotic stimulus that induces OT secretion. The results showed that intracerebroventricular microinjection of normal rabbit serum (NRS) or of ANP antiserum followed or not by an intraperitoneal injection of isotonic saline did not alter OT secretion or OT content in the PVN, SON, and PP; passive ANP immunoneutralization reduced the basal content of ANP in the PVN, SON, and PP of animals in a situation of isotonicity; the ANP antiserum inhibited the increase of OT secretion and content of OT and ANP in the PVN, SON and PP induced by the osmotic stimulus. Thus, the increase in plasma OT and oxytocinergic neurons of the hypothalamus-posterior pituitary system in response to hypertonicity depends on the action of endogenous ANP, i.e., ECF hypertonicity must activate ANPergic neurons which directly or indirectly stimulate OT release.
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PMID:Atrial natriuretic peptide mediates oxytocin secretion induced by osmotic stimulus. 1257 48

The present study sought to determine whether an acute increase in arterial blood pressure (ABP) reduces plasma vasopressin (VP) levels stimulated by ANG II or hyperosmolality. During an intravenous infusion of ANG II (100 ng.kg(-1).min(-1)), attenuation of the ANG II-evoked increase in ABP with diazoxide or minoxidil did not further enhance plasma VP levels in rats. When VP secretion was stimulated by an infusion of hypertonic saline, coinfusion of the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (PE) significantly increased ABP but did not reduce plasma VP levels. In fact, plasma VP levels were enhanced. The enhancement of plasma VP levels cannot be explained by a direct stimulatory action of PE, as plasma VP levels of isosmotic rats did not change during a similar infusion of PE. An infusion of endothelin-1 in hyperosmotic rats significantly raised ABP but did not reduce plasma VP levels; rather, VP levels increased as observed with PE. In alpha-chloralose-anesthetized rats infused with hypertonic saline, inflation of an aortic cuff to increase ABP and stimulate arterial baroreceptors did not reduce plasma VP levels. In each experiment, plasma oxytocin levels paralleled plasma VP levels. Collectively, the present findings suggest that an acute increase in ABP does not inhibit VP secretion.
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PMID:Acute increases in arterial blood pressure do not reduce plasma vasopressin levels stimulated by angiotensin II or hyperosmolality in rats. 1498 85

The hyperosmolality associated with diabetes mellitus triggers an increase in neuronal activity and vasopressin production within magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) of the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON). In this study, we examined the effect of chronic diabetes on the function and survival of these neurons. After 6 months, but not 6 weeks, of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes, we observed an increase in the appearance of small hyperchromatic neurons and a decrease in SON neuronal density. A subpopulation of neurons within the SON at this time point demonstrated positive staining for cleaved caspase-3 and TUNEL, two markers of apoptosis. In addition, the number of vasopressin-positive neurons was decreased. Markers for apoptosis did not colocalize with vasopressin immunopositivity; this was probably due to a diabetes-induced degenerative process causing downregulation of vasopressin expression or depletion of neuropeptide. Although the phenotypes of the apoptotic neurons were not identified, other SON neurons including oxytocin-producing neurons are unlikely to be affected by chronic hyperglycemia. Microglial hypertrophy and condensation were also observed in the 6-month diabetic SON. Although upregulation of vasopressin production in response to acute hyperosmolality is adaptive, prolonged overstimulation of vasopressin-producing neurons in chronic diabetes results in neurodegeneration and apoptosis.
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PMID:Apoptosis of vasopressinergic hypothalamic neurons in chronic diabetes mellitus. 1500 92

Vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) play critical roles in the regulation of salt and water balance, lactation, and various behaviors and are expressed at very high levels in specific magnocellular neurons (MCNs) in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS). In addition to the cell-specific expression of the VP and OT genes in these cells, there are other transcripts that are preferentially expressed in the VP or OT MCNs. One such gene, paternally expressed gene 3 (Peg3), is an imprinted gene expressed exclusively from the paternal allele that encodes a Kruppel-type zinc finger-containing protein involved in maternal behavior and is abundantly expressed in the VP-MCNs. We report here the robust expression in the VP-MCNs of an RNA, which we designate APeg3 that is transcribed in the antisense direction to the 3' untranslated region of the Peg3 gene. The APeg3 mRNA is about 1 kb in size, and the full-length sequence of APeg3, as determined by 5' and 3' RACE, contains an open reading frame that predicts a protein of 93 amino acids and is predominantly expressed in VP-MCNs. Both Peg3 and APeg3 gene expression in the VP-MCNs increase during systemic hyperosmolality in vivo, demonstrating that both of these genes are osmoregulated.
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PMID:APeg3, a novel paternally expressed gene 3 antisense RNA transcript specifically expressed in vasopressinergic magnocellular neurons in the rat supraoptic nucleus. 1595 Jul 72

The present study sought to determine whether chemical destruction of peripheral catecholaminergic fibers with 6-hydroxydopamine (6OHDA) attenuates vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) secretion stimulated by hemorrhage, hypotension, and hyperosmolality. Rats received 6OHDA (100 mg/kg iv) or vehicle (1 ml/kg iv) on days 1 and 7, and experiments were performed on day 8. Serial hemorrhage (4 samples of 2 ml per 300 g body wt at 10-min intervals) increased plasma VP and OT levels in both groups; however, the increase in plasma VP and OT levels was significantly attenuated in 6OHDA-treated vs. control rats despite a significantly lower mean arterial blood pressure. Similarly, the increase in plasma VP and OT levels in response to hypotension produced by the selective arteriolar vasodilator diazoxide was significantly attenuated in 6OHDA-treated rats. In marked contrast to hemorrhage and hypotension, hyperosmolality produced by an infusion of 1 M NaCl (2 ml/h iv) stimulated increases in plasma VP and OT levels that were not different between 6OHDA-treated and control rats. In a parallel set of experiments, intravenous 6OHDA treatment reduced dopamine--hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the posterior pituitary but had no substantial effect in the hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. In each experiment, the pressor response to tyramine (250 microg/kg iv) was significantly attenuated in 6OHDA-treated rats, thereby confirming that 6OHDA treatment destroyed sympathetic catecholaminergic fibers. Collectively, these findings suggest that catecholaminergic fibers located outside the blood-brain barrier contribute to VP and OT secretion during hemorrhage and arterial hypotension.
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PMID:Intravenous 6-hydroxydopamine attenuates vasopressin and oxytocin secretion stimulated by hemorrhage and hypotension but not hyperosmolality in rats. 1649 14

The capability of goats to maintain milk production during water deprivation is remarkable and not yet fully understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether intravenous infusions of hypertonic NaCl cause release of both vasopressin and oxytocin and whether the peptides, in combination with the hyperosmolality, affect milk flow and milk composition. Six Swedish domestic landrace goats in their first to third lactation were milked every 30 min during experiments. Hypertonic NaCl (HNaCl) or isotonic NaCl (IsoNaCl) were infused for 90 min. Goats were not allowed to drink during infusions. Plasma vasopressin concentration increased during HNaCl infusions, and did not change in response to IsoNaCl infusions. Plasma oxytocin concentration did not change during either infusion. Milk flow was maintained during the infusions. Milk fat concentration decreased in the three samples taken before onset of the infusions, but then increased gradually during HNaCl infusions, while it continued to fall during the IsoNaCl infusions. Milk osmolality followed the rise in plasma osmolality during the HNaCl infusions and did not change in IsoNaCl experiments. Milk lactose concentration increased throughout both series of experiments, the concentration being higher during HNaCl infusions. Milk protein concentration did not change during HNaCl infusions, but fell in the IsoNaCl experiments. It is concluded that the hyperosmolality in combination with elevated plasma vasopressin levels did not disturb the secretory activity of the mammary cells, but rather facilitated emptying of the alveolar milk. Such a mechanism may help to explain the sustained milk production in water deprived goats.
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PMID:Hypertonic NaCl infusions affect milk composition in goats. 1656 80

Body fluid hyperosmolality has long been known to elicit homeostatic responses that range from drinking to inhibition of salt appetite to release of neurohypohyseal hormones (i.e. vasopressin and oxytocin). More recently, it has been recognized that hyperosmolality is capable of also provoking a significant increase of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). It has been reported that neurones in the forebrain organum vasculosum laminae terminalis (OVLT) and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) each contribute significantly to this response. Here we sought to determine if sympathoexcitatory levels of hyperosmolality activate specifically those OVLT neurones that form a monosynaptic pathway to the PVN. First, we established in anaesthetized rats that graded concentrations of hypertonic NaCl (1.5 and 3.0 osmol kg(-1)) elicit graded increases of renal SNA (RSNA) when infused at a rate of 0.1 ml min(-1) through an internal carotid artery (ICA) - the major vascular supply of the forebrain. Next, infusions were performed in conscious rats in which OVLT neurones projecting to the PVN (OVLT-PVN) were retrogradely labelled with cholera toxin subunit B (CTB). Immunostaining of the immediate early gene product Fos and CTB was performed to quantify osmotic activation of OVLT-PVN neurones. ICA infusions of hypertonic NaCl and mannitol each significantly (P < 0.01-0.001) increased the number of Fos immunoreactive (Fos-ir) neuronal nuclei in the dorsal cap (DC) and lateral margins (LM) of OVLT. In the LM, infusions of 1.5 and 3.0 osmol kg(-1) NaCl produced similar increases in the number of Fos-ir neurones. In the DC, these infusions produced graded increases in Fos expression. Among OVLT neurones with axons projecting directly to the PVN (i.e. CTB-ir), graded hypertonic NaCl infusions again produced graded increases in Fos expression and this was observed in both the DC and LM. Although the DC and LM contained a similar number of OVLT-PVN neurones, the proportion of such neurones that expressed Fos-ir in responses to ICA hypertonic NaCl infusions was greater in the DC (P < 0.001). These findings support the conclusion that PVN-projecting neurones in the DC and LM of OVLT could participate in behavioural, neuroendocrine, and sympathetic nervous system responses to body fluid hyperosmolality.
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PMID:Intra-carotid hyperosmotic stimulation increases Fos staining in forebrain organum vasculosum laminae terminalis neurones that project to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. 1897 56

The intention of this review is to emphasize the current knowledge about the extent and importance of the substances co-localized with magnocellular arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXY) as potential candidates for the gradual clarification of their actual role in the regulation of hydromineral homeostasis. Maintenance of the body hydromineral balance depends on the coordinated action of principal biologically active compounds, AVP and OXY, synthesized in the hypothalamic supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. However, on the regulation of water-salt balance, other substances, co-localized with the principal neuropetides, participate. These can be classified as (1) peptides co-localized with AVP or OXY with unambiguous osmotic function, including angiotensin II, apelin, corticotropin releasing hormone, and galanin and (2) peptides co-localized with AVP or OXY with an unknown role in osmotic regulation, including cholecystokinin, chromogranin/secretogranin, dynorphin, endothelin-1, enkephalin, ferritin protein, interleukin 6, kininogen, neurokinin B, neuropeptide Y, vasoactive intestinal peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, TAFA5 protein, thyrotropin releasing hormone, tyrosine hydroxylase, and urocortin. In this brief review, also the responses of these substances to different hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic challenges are pointed out. Based on the literature data published recently, the functional implication of the majority of co-localized substances is still better understood in non-osmotic than osmotic functional circuits. Brattleboro strain of rats that does not express functional vasopressin was also included in this review. These animals suffer from chronic hypernatremia and hyperosmolality, accompanied by sustained increase in OXY mRNA in PVN and SON and OXY levels in plasma. They represent an important model of animals with constantly sustained osmolality, which in the future, will be utilizable for revealing the physiological importance of biologically active substances co-expressed with AVP and OXY, involved in the regulation of plasma osmolality.
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PMID:Response of substances co-expressed in hypothalamic magnocellular neurons to osmotic challenges in normal and Brattleboro rats. 1877 90


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