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Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

By a prospective study the authors tried to assess the state of the fetoplacental unit in pathologic pregnancies. Depending on the given situation, the following analytical procedures were used: oxytocin test (OCT), placental beta-1-glycoprotein (SP-1), amnioscopy, and analysis of the liquor amnii ingredients (L/S relationship). By combining the above quoted procedures and taking into account obstetric factors (pelvic measures, cervical maturity), the assessment was made of the state of the fetus and the placenta, of the maturity grade and gestation age, and of the condition of the fetus for delivery by the planned induction of uterine contractions. Statistical analysis (the kappa 2 test) has shown that there is no difference in the results concerning the parameters observed, which speaks for good agreement between them. In the authors' opinion, none of the methods used is an absolutely valid test but their combination and dynamic observation along with a certain clinical experience, could lead to right conclusions about the state of the fetoplacental unit before induced labour.
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PMID:[Assessment of the state of the fetoplacental unit before induction of labor and its outcome]. 31 23

Cytochemical methods using silver proteinate, silver methenamine an potassium ferrocyanide + OsO4 for ultrastructural detection of glycoproteins allow, in the posthypophysis and the magnocellular nuclei of the rat, differentiation of two types of fibres and neurons: one type containing negative granules with a homogenous content of low electron density, the second type containing granules which demonstrate a ring shaped deposit either of silver or of potassium ferrocyanide-osmium complex, likely to be related to a glycoprotein component. The difference between these two types is increased by prestaining "en bloc" with uranyl acetate before the silver proteinate reaction. A similar investigation was carried out on the vasopressin deficient Brattleboro rat; the neurosecretory material, present in some endings and neurons only, is of the nonreactive type, so that it appears justified to correlate the reactivity of granules with vasopressin, consequently to distinguish neurones and fibres containing vasopressin from those in which oxytocin is quantitatively the main hormonal peptide. This conclusion is strongly supported by the fact that percentages of reactive and negative endings, as determined on this basis in the posthypophysis of normal rats from two different strains, are in good agreement with biochemical data reported in the literature.
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PMID:Cytochemical duality of neurosecretory material in the hypothalamo-posthypophysial system of the rat as related to hormonal content. 87 84

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been combined with hybrid somatic cell technology to extend the bovine physical map. Eight bovine loci--glycoprotein hormone alpha (CGA), coagulation factor X (F10), chromogranin A (CHGA), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), human prochymosin pseudogene (CYM), oxytocin (OXT), arginine-vasopressin (ARVP), and cytochrome oxidase c subunit IV pseudogene (COXP)--were assigned to bovine syntenic groups with this approach. CGA was assigned to bovine syntenic group U2, F10 to U27, CHGA to U4 [bovine Chromosome (Chr) 21], LDLR to U22, CYM to U6, OXT and ARVP to U11, and COXP to U3 (bovine Chr 5). Seven of these genes, CGA, F10, CHGA, LDLR, OXT, ARVP, and CYM, further delineate regions of chromosomal conservation on human Chrs 6, 13, 14, 19, 20, 20, and 1, respectively. CHGA, OXT, and ARVP are unmapped in the mouse. Comparative mapping predicts the mouse CHGA will map to Chr 12, and mouse OXT and ARVP will map to mouse Chr 2. Furthermore, human CYM is predicted to be sublocalized to 1p32-q21. The primers developed for these eight loci will be useful for the development of hybrid somatic cell panels in the future as well as establishing a collection of bovine expressed sequence tags.
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PMID:Assignment of eight loci to bovine syntenic groups by use of PCR: extension of a comparative gene map. 161 14

The effect of a physiological range of concentrations of three stress-related hormones, oxytocin (OT), arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and prolactin (PRL) was tested upon human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) secretion by placental explants from early pregnancy in static and superfusion cultures. In static cultures, OT and AVP significantly increased HCG secretion, whereas PRL had no effect. In superfusion, 1-min pulses of OT induced a significant (two- to 10-fold) rise in HCG pulse amplitude compared to the control. This effect of this neuropeptide was blocked by coadministration of a specific receptor antagonist. AVP also increased the glycoprotein pulse amplitude by two- to five-fold, but only with every second pulse administered. PRL pulses caused a progressive inhibition of spontaneous HCG pulsatility. In conclusion, stress-related hormones affect placental HCG secretion in vitro. The involvement of these factors in impairing early pregnancy development is suggested.
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PMID:Stress-related hormones affect human chorionic gonadotrophin secretion from the early human placenta in vitro. 175 12

The neuropeptides arginine vasopressin and oxytocin are generated from their prohormones in the hypothalamoneurohypophysial system by enzymatic cleavages at paired basic residues (i.e. Lys-Arg). This study describes the purification of an enzyme from bovine neural lobe secretory vesicles, the putative site of this processing, which is capable of cleaving several prohormones at paired basic residues. The enzyme is a glycoprotein of Mr approximately 70,000 and has an acidic pH maximum. It processes the heterologous precursors pro-opiomelanocortin and insulin at paired basic residues in a manner similar to a pro-opiomelanocortin-converting enzyme derived from bovine intermediate lobe secretory vesicles which has been described previously. In addition, the neural lobe-derived converting enzyme cleaves the human vasopressin prohormone in vitro to yield arginine vasopressin-Gly10-Lys11-Arg12 as the major vasopressin cleavage product. This indicates that the enzymatic cleavage in the vasopressin precursor occurred primarily on the carboxyl side of the arginine in the pair of Lys-Arg basic residues separating the vasopressin peptide from the neurophysin moiety in the precursor. The properties of the neural and intermediate lobe-derived enzymes are virtually identical, raising the possibility that a family of similar enzymes may be responsible for cleaving a number of prohormones at paired basic residues in different tissues.
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PMID:Purification and characterization of a paired basic residue-specific prohormone-converting enzyme from bovine pituitary neural lobe secretory vesicles. 302 39

The primary structures of the precursors of neurohypophysial hormones vasotocin (VT) and mesotocin (MT) in the hypothalamus of the toad Bufo japonicus were determined by analyzing the nucleotide sequences of the cloned cDNAs encoding them. The MT precursor consists of 125 amino acid residues containing a signal peptide followed directly by MT, which in turn is connected to the MT neurophysin by Gly-Lys-Arg, a processing and carboxyl-terminal amidation signal. In contrast, the VT precursor includes a glycoprotein of 36 amino acids following the VT neurophysin. Except for glycoprotein, the structures of MT and VT precursors are quite similar. RNA transfer blotting analysis showed that both MT and VT mRNAs are present in the brain but not in the liver, ovaries, and testes of the toad. The sequences and the structural organizations of the MT and VT precursors are highly homologous to those of their mammalian counterparts, oxytocin and arginine vasopressin precursors, respectively. This fact suggests that, in the evolutionary pathway of neurohypophysial hormones, VT is the ancestor molecule of vasopressin, while MT is that of oxytocin.
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PMID:Cloning and sequence analysis of cDNAs for neurohypophysial hormones vasotocin and mesotocin for the hypothalamus of toad, Bufo japonicus. 303 76

Adaptation of the uterus to the growing fetus necessitates remodelling of the uterine connective tissue. Proteoglycans, being a main constituent of the extracellular matrix, influence the physical properties of the tissue and play an important regulatory role for a number of functional events. The synthesis of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), the carboxyhydrate side chains of proteoglycans, in tissue from the lower uterine segment of term pregnant women was investigated in vitro by measurement of 35SO4 and [14C]glucosamine incorporation. Prostaglandin E2 and oestradiol-17 beta significantly increased the synthesis of sulphated GAGs but decreased the incorporation of [14C]glucosamine, while relaxin, prostaglandin F2 alpha and oxytocin had no significant effect. To further explore the influence of prostaglandin E2, tissue specimens were incubated with [14C]glucosamine and GAGs separated into three fractions on cetylpyridinium chloride cellulose micro columns. Prostaglandin E2 was found to significantly reduce the synthesis of components recovered in the glycoprotein and hyaluronate fractions, whereas synthesis of components in the sulphated GAG fraction was increased. The results indicate that prostaglandin E2 and oestradiol-17 beta have differential effects on different GAGs whereas relaxin, oxytocin and prostaglandin F2 alpha have no effect.
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PMID:Hormonal influence on glycosaminoglycan synthesis in uterine connective tissue of term pregnant women. 347 38

In situ hybridization provides a method for identifying cells that contain specific nucleic acid sequences. This report outlines an in situ hybridization procedure for mammalian neural tissue. The method maintains morphological quality and produces excellent specificity. Seven tritiated nucleic acid probes were examined: two ribosomal RNA probes, a control pBR322 plasmid probe, two probes encoding portions of the gene for oxytocin, one probe each encoding a portion of vasopressin glycoprotein, and neurophysin. Using cryostat-cut rat brain sections, rRNA probes labeled the cytoplasm of all cells and the nucleoli of larger neurons. The plasmid probe failed to produce a strong signal. Oxytocin and vasopressin probes appropriately labeled the cytoplasm of hypothalamic magnocellular neurons. Vasopressin parvocellular neurons were not identified by the current method, and the shorter length neurophysin probe failed to produce a signal. Methodological variables were examined by counting autoradiographic grains in cells. The longer oxytocin probe produced a stronger signal than the shorter oxytocin and vasopressin probes, and higher probe concentrations resulted in stronger signal. Hybridization could be abolished by tissue pretreatment with RNAse A, and longer exposure time increased signal strength. The outlined fixation steps with fresh-frozen tissue produced a superior signal compared to paraformaldehyde-perfused tissue.
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PMID:In situ hybridization technique to localize rRNA and mRNA in mammalian neurons. 394 Dec 65

To determine whether propressophysin (vasopressin-neurophysin precursor) is present in human plasma, the nature of the immunoreactive neurophysin was characterized by gel filtration. When plasma samples obtained from six patients with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion due to central nervous system disease were fractionated on a column of Sephadex G-50 in 0.2 N acetic acid, virtually all of the nicotine-stimulated neurophysin (NSN) immunoreactivity coeluted with 125I-labeled NSN. In contrast, gel filtration of plasma from six patients with oat cell carcinoma of the lung with ectopic vasopressin production consistently demonstrated, in addition, a peak of a higher molecular weight (HMW) form of neurophysin. This HMW neurophysin represented 8.7-29.4% of the total NSN immunoreactivity in plasma and its elution profile was not changed when chromatographed after incubation in 6 M urea. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the HMW neurophysin ran in the 20,000-dalton area of the gel. A substantial portion of the HMW neurophysin appeared to be a glycoprotein judging from its binding to Concanavalin A. When the HMW neurophysin was incubated with trypsin, most of the immunoreactivity was converted into a smaller neurophysin which bound to a vasopressin-agarose column in a pH-dependent manner. Moreover, a definite peak of immunoreactive vasopressin appeared after the trypsin treatment. This peak coeluted with synthetic arginine vasopressin on gel filtration and had the characteristic affinity of vasopressin for neurophysin-agarose. These results indicate that propressophysin circulates in patients with oat cell carcinoma of the lung with ectopic vasopressin production and suggest that plasma propressophysin may be a marker for ectopic vasopressin production.
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PMID:Propressophysin in human blood: a possible marker of ectopic vasopressin production. 608 1

Continuous cell lines have been established from a variety of biopsy and postmortem species of tumor from patients with small-cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL) and have been maintained over several years. The medium from the cultures has been assayed for peptide, glycoprotein, and steroid hormones. Significant amounts of 14 hormones including calcitonin, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), parathormone, luteinizing hormone, chorionic gonadotropin, glucagon, growth hormone, somatostatin, prolactin, beta-endorpin, lipotropin, oxytocin-neurophysin, vasopressin-neurophysin, and estradiol have been demonstrated. Up to ten different hormones have been produced by a single cell line. Most produce ACTH and all evaluated so far produce estradiol. These studies indicate that cells from SCCL have a potential for producing a wide variety of hormones and that this characteristic can be maintained for prolonged periods of culture in vitro.
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PMID:Hormone production by cultures of small-cell carcinoma of the lung. 626 22


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