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)

We have demonstrated previously that plasma adrenocorticotropin hormone and cortisol responses to exogenous and endogenous stimuli are reduced in fetuses of mildly undernourished ewes. In the present study, we examined the molecular regulation of fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function at 127-130 days gestation (dGA) following 15% reduction in maternal nutrition between 0 and 70 dGA. Using in situ hybridization, we found that corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was lower in fetuses from nutrient restricted ewes than in controls. Restricted fetuses also had greater levels of mRNA encoding preproenkephalin (PENK) and magnocellular arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the PVN. Expression of oxytocin mRNA and parvocellular AVP mRNA in the PVN and pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA in the pituitary were unchanged. Glucocorticoid receptor mRNA expression was unaltered at the PVN, but was reduced (> 40%) in the anterior pituitary of restricted fetuses. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that levels of adrenal P450scc mRNA and P450(C17) mRNA were not different between the groups. We conclude that the reduction in HPA function reported previously is mediated, at least in part, by a decrease in expression of CRH mRNA and increase in PENK mRNA in the PVN.
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PMID:Maternal undernutrition in early gestation alters molecular regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the ovine fetus. 1167 54

Oxytocin receptors (OTR) and vasopressin V1a receptors (V1aR) in the ventral forebrain play critical roles in the formation of pair bonds in the monogamous prairie vole. Previous reports have been inconsistent in the identification of the specific brain regions in the ventral forebrain that express these receptors. To delineate more clearly the neuroanatomical boundaries of the OTR and V1aR fields in this species, we compared OTR and V1aR binding in adjacent brain sections and also with markers that delineate neuroanatomical boundaries in the ventral forebrain. OTR binding displayed an overlapping distribution with substance P mRNA and preproenkephalin mRNA, both markers for the shell and core of the nucleus accumbens. V1aR binding was nonoverlapping with each of these markers but colocalized with iron accumulation as shown by Perls' iron stain as well as leucine-enkephalin immunoreactivity, both markers for the ventral pallidum. OTR and V1aR mRNA were also restricted within the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum, respectively. Furthermore, destruction of ventral striatal dopaminergic terminals with 6-hydroxydopamine infusions into the nucleus accumbens did not alter OTR binding. Immunocytochemical analysis of oxytocin and vasopressin in the ventral forebrain demonstrated the presence of oxytocin-immunoreactive fibers in the nucleus accumbens and vasopressin-immunoreactive fibers in the ventral pallidum, with males showing a greater density of vasopressin fibers than females, but there was no such sex difference in the oxytocin system. Based on these results, we discuss potential neural mechanisms by which receptors in these brain regions mediate pair bond formation in this monogamous species. J. Comp. Neurol. 468:555-570, 2004.
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PMID:Ventral striatopallidal oxytocin and vasopressin V1a receptors in the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). 1468 86


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