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

Previous reports have suggested that gonadotropins, estradiol, and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) have varying effects on progesterone and oxytocin synthesis or secretion in cultured granulosa and luteal cells collected at different stages of the estrous cycle. The experiments reported here were designed to investigate whether effects of these agonists on secretion of hormones and their coupling to second messenger systems changed around the time of ovulation. Granulosa cells and Day 2 luteal cells of the ewe were cultured for three days and then treated for 30 min with varying doses of PGF2 alpha, LH, or estradiol. LH increased intracellular cAMP at both stages, but granulosa cells were more responsive in terms of both minimum effective dose (10 compared with 100 ng/ml) and degree of stimulation. LH caused no change in intracellular inositol phosphate levels. Both granulosa and early luteal cells responded to LH treatment by an increase in progesterone output in a dose-responsive fashion. PGF2 alpha increased inositol phosphate accumulation in cells collected at both stages of the cycle. All doses tested (10(-6)-10(-8) M) stimulated the release of oxytocin into the culture medium from both granulosa and luteal cells. Progesterone secretion was also increased, but only at the highest dose (10(-6) M). Estradiol treatment (10(-6) M) did not affect either the inositol phosphate or cAMP second messenger systems, but it did inhibit the secretion of oxytocin from granulosa cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Acute effects of prostaglandin F2 alpha, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol on second messenger systems and on the secretion of oxytocin and progesterone from granulosa and early luteal cells of the ewe. 819 57

The role of Ca(2+)-activated potassium (KCa) channels in the regulation of membrane potential, intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) and contraction was investigated in uterine smooth muscle and myometrial cells. In an immortalized human myometrial cell line, oxytocin increased [Ca2+]i and [3H]inositol phosphate formation. Relaxin attenuated the oxytocin-induced increase in [Ca2+]i. In cell-attached patches, membrane depolarization activated a large-conductance KCa channel (179 +/- 4 pS). Iberiotoxin (IbTX), a potent blocker of "maxi" KCa channels (A. Galvez, G. Gimenez-Gallego, J. P. Reuben, L. Roy-Contanciin, P. Feigenbaum, G. J. Kaczorowski, and M. L. Garcia. J. Biol. Chem. 265: 11083-11090, 1990) produced long closed events (approximately 6 min) in these channels. In agreement with this blockage, IbTX depolarized the cells by 9.8 +/- 2.8 mV and caused a dose-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i with a half-maximal effective concentration of 0.79 nM. IbTX also caused phasic contractions in human myometrial strips and increased both the frequency and force of spontaneous contractions in estrogen-primed rat myometrial strips. Moreover, myometrial contractility was also affected by 1 mM tetraethylammonium, a concentration that blocks uterine smooth muscle KCa channels when applied to the extracellular side (G. J. Perez, L. Toro, S. D. Erulkar, and E. Stefani. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 168: 652-660, 1993). These results strongly suggest that the large conductance KCa channels may actively participate in the control of human myometrial cell membrane potential and [Ca2+].
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PMID:Calcium-activated K+ channels as modulators of human myometrial contractile activity. 823 23

Oxytocin(OT) is considered to have several activities besides strongly inducing myometrial contraction by activating phosphatidilinositol-specific phospholipase C(PI-PLC). These include reconstructing the phospholipid constituents of the cell membrane and activating a variety of fatty acid producing systems. On the other hand, pregnancy-related steroid hormones which are produced by the fetus, placenta and mother are considered to be closely involved in the maintenance of pregnancy and the initiation of labor. In the present study with cultured myometrial cells, we examined what effect these steroid hormones might exert on the intramyometrial production of fatty acid by OT. Our results confirmed bi-phasic production of arachidonic acid(AA), linoleic acid(LA), palmitic acid(PA), and stearic acid(SA) by OT. Phase 1 was an increasing but transient phenomenon having its peak at 30 sec. It is considered to be derived from phosphatidylinositol bis-phosphate. Phase 2 was a persistent and increasing phenomenon which was initiated after 120 sec. It is considered to be mediated by Ca-dependent phospholipase. We also studied the effect of steroid hormones on the production of fatty acid. For AA, LA, and PA, we confirmed that dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate(DHAS) shortened the time taken in reaching the peak of Phase 1 to half of that of the control, and progesterone(P) extended the time 2-3 fold. These findings suggest that DHAS, P and F might modify the human myometrial construction mechanism as a factor which regulates the quantity and velocity of fatty acid production.
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PMID:[The effect of oxytocin on production of free fatty acid in primary human uterine myometrial cell culture]. 837 Oct 25

Induction of ovulation early post partum in sheep is associated with a high incidence (30-40%) of premature luteolysis. The present study was designed to characterize oxytocin receptor levels, oxytocin-stimulated inositol phosphate (IP) turnover (second messenger) and oxytocin-stimulated prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) release in the endometrium of post-partum ewes induced to ovulate 21 days after parturition and expected to exhibit a range of corpus luteal functions subsequently. Ovulation was induced on day 21 post partum using a controlled internal drug release device and pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin, and uterine tissues were collected on days 5, 10 or 15 of the cycle (n = 4/day). A further 12 ewes whose interval from previous parturition exceeded 150 days were similarly treated and acted as controls. Measurement of daily peripheral progesterone concentrations revealed that while all control ewes exhibited normal luteal function, abnormal luteal function was evident in two, two and one post-partum ewes studied on days 5, 10 and 15 of the cycle respectively. Oxytocin receptor binding was detected (by receptor-binding assay and in-vitro autoradiography) in the endometrium and myometrium of post-partum ewes at all three stages of the oestrous cycle but only at day 15 in control ewes. To determine IP turnover, 100 mg caruncular endometrium was incubated in duplicate for 2.5 h with 10 microCi [3H]inositol and treated with 0 or 2 mumol oxytocin/l for 30 min, then [3H]inositol mono-, bis- and trisphosphates were quantified.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Oxytocin receptor concentrations, inositol phosphate turnover and prostaglandin release by endometrium from ewes induced to ovulate during the early post-partum period. 838 55

We have previously characterized specific oxytocin receptors in the rat anterior pituitary gland, using a highly selective oxytocin receptor antagonist as radioligand. The aim of the present study was to examine whether occupation of these receptors by oxytocin produces a stimulation of prolactin release and a rise in the accumulation of total inositol phosphates in the rat adenohypophysis. Anterior pituitary cells harvested from randomly cycling and diethylstilboestrol (100 micrograms s.c.)-treated rats were perifused with Dulbecco's minimal essential medium at a rate of 0.3 ml/min. Oxytocin and the specific oxytocin agonist [Thr4-Gly7]-oxytocin (TG-OT) both stimulated a significant prolactin release at concentrations of 10(-6) and 10(-7) M. Oestrogen treatment did not affect the response to oxytocin, indicating that there is no straightforward correlation between receptor number and prolactin secretory response in the rat pituitary gland. The involvement of phosphoinositide hydrolysis was investigated in dispersed anterior pituitary cells and uterine tissue from randomly cycling rats. Oxytocin and arginine-vasopressin stimulated a significant (P < 0.05) and dose-related increase in total inositol phosphates, vasopressin being more potent. The specific oxytocin agonist TG-OT had no effect on total inositol phosphate production in pituitary cells, but when tested in uterine tissue it significantly (P < 0.05) stimulated the accumulation of total inositol phosphate at all concentrations tested (10(-5) to 10(-9) M). In conclusion, the data show that oxytocin has prolactin-releasing activity, acting on specific receptors in the anterior pituitary gland.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Specific oxytocin agonist stimulates prolactin release but has no effect on inositol phosphate accumulation in isolated rat anterior pituitary cells. 838 9

This study characterized changes in levels of mRNA and protein for endometrial oestrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs) during luteolysis and maternal recognition of pregnancy. For cyclic and pregnant ewes, endometrium was collected on days 10, 12, 14, or 16 post-oestrus (4 ewes/day for each status) for the measurement of ER and PR mRNA and protein. The amount of receptor mRNA is expressed in relative units above background, measured from radiographs of dot-blot hybridization of total endometrial RNA with ER and PR cDNAs. At hysterectomy, jugular vein blood samples were collected and assayed for progesterone, total corpus luteum weight was recorded and, in vitro, endometrial oxytocin-stimulated inositol phosphate formation was estimated. In pregnant ewes, plasma progesterone increased gradually between days 10 and 16 (P < 0.01), corpus luteum weight was stable at approximately 0.8 g and oxytocin did not stimulate endometrial formation of inositol phosphates in vitro. In contrast, in cyclic ewes, plasma progesterone decreased from day 10 to day 16 (P < 0.01), corpus luteum weight decreased after day 14 to approximately 0.48 g (P = 0.05) and oxytocin stimulated an increase of approximately 1300% in the endometrial formation of inositol phosphates on day 16. cDNAs specifically hybridized with 1.6 and 3.1 kb transcripts for PR mRNA and a 6.5 kb transcript for ER mRNA. In cyclic ewes, the amount of PR mRNA increased from day 10 to maximum levels on days 14-16. The number of PRs decreased from day 10 (2.25 pmol/mg DNA) to day 12 (0.98 pmol/mg DNA) and then increased from day 14 to day 16 (2.8 pmol/mg DNA). In pregnant ewes, PR mRNA levels were greatest on days 10-12 and decreased by approximately 50% by day 16. In contrast, the number of PRs was relatively unchanged from day 10 to day 16 (1.53 to 1.03 pmol/mg DNA). In cyclic ewes, the amount of ER mRNA was lowest at day 10 and increased fivefold by day 16. The number of ERs remained relatively unchanged from day 10 to day 14 (6.07 pmol/mg DNA) and increased by day 16 (16.12 pmol/mg DNA). In pregnant ewes, ER mRNA decreased by approximately 80% from day 12 to day 16. Similarly, the number of ERs decreased from day 10 to day 16 (5.41 to 2.05 pmol/mg DNA). Correlations between ER mRNA and PR mRNA (r = 0.68), ERs and PRs (r = 0.50) and ER mRNA and ERs (r = 0.50) were high (P < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Changes in progesterone and oestrogen receptor mRNA and protein during maternal recognition of pregnancy and luteolysis in ewes. 848 65

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hCG, hCG plus oxytocin and oxytocin on [3H] inositol phosphate (IP) formations in porcine myometrial cells obtained from ovariectomized and cyclic gilts. Myometrial cells were treated with radioactive myo-[3H]inositol for 48 hours, washed and pre-incubated with 10 mM LiCl, and then different doses of hCG (10, 100, 1000 mU) were added over 24 h. At the end of the last day of culture some wells were treated with 1 microM oxytocin for 30 min. The highest production of total inositol phosphates (d.p.m.) was found in cells from ovariectomized gilts given in vivo estradiol benzoate and progesterone for five consecutive days and treated with 1000 mU hCG and 100 mU hCG plus 1 microM oxytocin (984 +/- 84 and 1063 +/- 131 vs 314 +/- 36, respectively). There was also a very significant increase of IP1 after the addition of 1000 mU hCG (p < 0.001) and IP1 and IP3 when 1000 mU hCG plus oxytocin were added (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Myometrial cells harvested from ovariectomized, untreated in vivo, gilts did not respond to both oxytocin and hCG in vitro. Only oxytocin alone increased the formation of IPs in cells from ovariectomized pigs treated with estradiol in vivo (p < 0.01). Myometrial cells obtained from cyclic pigs during the luteal and follicular phases of the estrous cycle responded to lower doses of hCG (10 mU), causing significant production of IPs (p < 0.05). The highest dose of hCG plus oxytocin provoked accumulation of total [3H]inositol phosphate (p < 0.05) 53% over the basal level on days 21/1 of the estrous cycle. The present study demonstrates that hCG and oxytocin can increase the accumulation of inositol phosphates in porcine myometrial cells. However, this formation is dependent on the steroid hormone status of animals.
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PMID:The effect of oxytocin on hCG action in phosphoinositide turnover in porcine myometrial smooth muscle cells. 852 14

In the pregnant rat myometrium, an averaged 30% of inositol phosphate accumulation induced by carbachol and oxytocin was inhibited by oxodipine indicating that a part of receptor-mediated generation of inositol phosphates depended on Ca++ influx through voltage-gated Ca++ channels. In fura-2-loaded cells, carbachol and oxytocin caused a two-phase [Ca++]i response, made up of a transient [Ca++]i peak of about 700 nM followed by a sustained phase of about 120 nM. Oxodipine reduced the [Ca++]i peak by 40% and the plateau phase by 50%, pointing to a contribution of Ca++ influx in both the [Ca++]i peak and sustained phase. Isoproterenol reduced inositol phosphate response to carbachol and oxytocin to an amount equivalent to that elicited by oxodipine. No additional reduction could be obtained in a combination of isoproterenol and oxodipine. Isoproterenol decreased by 40% the [Ca++]i peak and by 70% the [Ca++]i plateau phase. Differently from isoproterenol, forskolin did not affect inositol phosphate accumulation induced by oxytocin and failed to attenuate the [Ca++]i peak. The inhibitory effect of isoproterenol on both inositol phosphate accumulation and [Ca++]i increase induced by oxytocin was abolished by pertussis toxin. These data suggest that beta adrenergic receptor activation is linked via a cAMP-independent, pertussis toxin-sensitive process to an activation of K+ channels, as revealed by use of selective K+ channel antagonists, with the consequent closure of voltage-gated Ca++ channels, resulting in the inhibition of the Ca(++)-associated generation of inositol phosphates.
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PMID:Beta adrenergic receptor activation attenuates the generation of inositol phosphates in the pregnant rat myometrium. Correlation with inhibition of Ca++ influx, a cAMP-independent mechanism. 855 22

We report on the pharmacological properties of a potent and selective linear vasopressin (AVP) V1a receptor antagonist HO-Phenylacetyl1-D-Tyr(Me)2-Phe3-Gln4-Asn5-Arg6-Pro7-Arg8-NH2 (HO-LVA). Iodinated on the phenolic substituent at position 1, [125I]-HO-LVA displayed the highest affinity for rat liver V1a receptors (8 pM) ever reported. Furthermore, affinities of HO-LVA and I-HO-LVA for V1b, V2 and oxytocin (OT) receptors was 400- to 1,000-fold lower than for V1a receptors, rendering it a highly selective ligand. Both HO-LVA and its iodinated derivative are V1 antagonists, they potently inhibited AVP-induced inositol-phosphate accumulation in WRK1 cells, and also, although with a much lower potency, the AVP-induced ACTH release from freshly prepared pituitary cells. Using autoradiography [125I]-HO-LVA appeared to be the first radioligand to successfully identify and localize the presence of V1a receptors in rat liver and blood vessel walls. Moreover, several new brain regions expressing V1a receptors could be identified, in addition to those brain regions that were previously identified with other radiolabelled AVP analogues.
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PMID:Characterization of a novel, linear radioiodinated vasopressin antagonist: an excellent radioligand for vasopressin V1a receptors. 858 13

Mesotocin is the oxytocin-like hormone found in most terrestrial vertebrates from lungfishes to marsupials, which includes all non-mammalian tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, and birds). It has the largest distribution in vertebrates after vasotocin found in all non-mammalian vertebrates and isotocin identified in bony fishes. In this study, we report the cloning and functional characterization of the cDNA for the mesotocin receptor (MTR) from the urinary bladder of the toad Bufo marinus. The cloned cDNA encodes a polypeptide of 389 amino acids that shows the greatest similarity to the teleost fish isotocin receptor and to mammalian oxytocin receptors with mutations in extracellular loops which are involved in ligand binding. When expressed in COSM6 cells, MTR exhibits the following relative order of ligand affinity: mesotocin > vasotocin = oxytocin > vasopressin > hydrin 1, isotocin, hydrin 2. Injection of MTR cRNA into Xenopus laevis oocytes induces membrane chloride currents in response to mesotocin, which indicates the coupling of the mesotocin receptor to the inositol phosphate/calcium pathway. This response is inhibited by an oxytocin antagonist, but not by a vasopressin antagonist specific for V2 vasopressin receptors. MTR mRNA is not only found in toad urinary bladder, but also in kidney, muscle, and brain tissue of the toad as revealed by northern blot analysis and reverse-transcriptase PCR. The results suggest a variety of function for mesotocin and its receptor including, in particular, an involvement in the regulation of water and salt transport.
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PMID:Cloning and functional characterization of the amphibian mesotocin receptor, a member of the oxytocin/vasopressin receptor superfamily. 864 23


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