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)

125I-angiotensin II (125I-AII) binding was examined in the hypothalamic-thalamic-septal-midbrain (HTSM) region of HLA-Wistar rats in the presence of CNS-active agents. Angiotensin I, II, and III and saralasin competed for 125 I-AII binding, whereas structurally unrelated peptides such as arginine and lysine vasopressin, oxytocin, LHRH, TRH, bradykinin, and substance P did not. In contrast, ACTH and neurotensin exhibited a weak, dose-dependent competition for 125 I-AII binding. The relative potencies of AII, AI, neurotensin and ACTH were 100:1:0.1:0.05, respectively. Neurotensin and ACTH competition was not additive with AII suggesting interaction at shared binding sites. Most importantly, a wide variety of other CNS active agents such as methyldopa, naloxone, catecholamines, clondidine, and reserpine, failed to inhibit 125 I-AII binding, thus further defining the specificity of the CNS AII receptor.
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PMID:The specificity of angiotensin II receptor binding in rat brain. 627 72

Several neuropeptides, including neurotensin, somatostatin, bradykinin, angiotensin II, substance P, and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone but not vasopressin and oxytocin, were actively metabolized through proteolytic degradation by cultivated astrocytes obtained from rat cerebral cortex. Because phenanthroline was an effective degradation inhibitor, metalloproteases were responsible for neuropeptide fragmentation. Neurotensin was cleaved by astrocytes at the Pro10-Tyr11 and Arg8-Arg9 bonds, whereas somatostatin was cleaved at the Phe6-Phe7 and Thr10-Phe11 bonds. These cleavage sites have been found previously with endopeptidases 24.16 and 24.15 purified from rat brain. Addition of specific inhibitors of these proteases, the dipeptide Pro-Ile and N-[1-(RS)-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl]-Ala-Ala-Phe-4-aminobenzoate, significantly reduced the generation of the above neuropeptide fragments by astrocytes. The presence of endopeptidases 24.16 and 24.15 in homogenates of astrocytes could also be demonstrated by chromatographic separations of supernatant solubilized cell preparations. Proteolytic activity for neurotensin eluted after both gel and hydroxyapatite chromatography at the same positions as found for purified endopeptidase 24.16 or 24.15. In incubation experiments or in chromatographic separations no phosphoramidon-sensitive endopeptidase 24.11 (enkephalinase) or captopril-sensitive peptidyl dipeptidase A (angiotensin-converting enzyme) could be detected in cultivated astrocytes. Because astrocytes embrace the neuronal synapses where neuropeptides are released, we presume that the endopeptidases 24.16 and 24.15 on astrocytes are strategically located to contribute significantly to the inactivation of neurotensin, somatostatin, and other neuropeptides in the brain.
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PMID:Endopeptidases 24.16 and 24.15 are responsible for the degradation of somatostatin, neurotensin, and other neuropeptides by cultivated rat cortical astrocytes. 790 52

Prolyl endopeptidase has been predominantly described as a cytosolic activity capable of cleaving a number of important neuropeptides (including TRH, LHRH, Bradykinin, Angiotensin, Substance P, Neurotensin, Oxytocin and Vasopressin) on the carboxy side of proline. In this paper, we report, for the first time, on the complete purification and characterization of a membrane-bound form of prolyl endopeptidase. This novel activity has been isolated from the synaptosomal (plasma membranes) membranes of bovine brain. Following gel filtration, hydroxylapatite and hydrophobic interaction chromatographies, the prolyl endopeptidase activity was purified 1400-fold with a 23% recovery of activity. The enzyme was shown to have a relative molecular mass of 87 kDa and a Km of 60 microM for its specific fluorimetric substrate, Z-GlyProMCA. The purified enzyme demonstrated a relatively broad substrate specificity and a relatively high affinity for proline-containing neuropeptides. It was shown to be inhibited by certain thiol-protease inhibitors and by the metal chelator, 1,10-phenanthroline, thus possibly classifying it as a 'thimet' activity. The purified particular form of proyl endopeptidase displayed a similar substrate specificity to the previously reported cytosolic forms of the enzyme. However, there were differences between the two forms in term of their sensitivity to inhibitors, their affinities for the peptide substrates and their relative molecular masses. The different subcellular location (i.e. the synaptosomal membrane) of the particulate prolyl endopeptidase is also of potential physiological significance given that here it is more likely to come in contact with the vesicle-bound neuropeptides than is its cytosolic counterpart.
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PMID:Purification and characterization of a novel membrane-bound form of prolyl endopeptidase from bovine brain. 902 55

Neurotensin increases the firing rate of supraoptic nucleus oxytocin and vasopressin neurones in vitro and induces Fos protein expression in the supraoptic nucleus in vivo. Here, we used extracellular single-unit electrophysiological recording combined with local microdialysis administration of neurotensin (1 mM at 2 micro l/min) to investigate the effects of locally applied neurotensin on the firing of oxytocin and vasopressin neurones in urethane-anaesthetized virgin and lactating rats. Neurotensin decreased the mean firing rate of oxytocin cells in virgin, but not lactating, rats. In addition, neurotensin increased the index of dispersion (a measure of the variability of firing) in virgin, but not lactating, rats. By contrast to oxytocin cells, neurotensin increased the mean firing rate of vasopressin cells in both virgin and lactating rats, but did not alter the index of dispersion. The increase in firing of phasic vasopressin cells was achieved through an increase in intraburst frequency (rather than an increase in burst duration or decrease in interburst interval), which resulted from a reduction of the spike-frequency adaptation that develops over the course of phasic bursts. Thus, neurotensin has differential effects on activity patterning in oxytocin and vasopressin cells and the effects on oxytocin cells, but not vasopressin cells, depend upon the physiological status of the animal. The increase in the variability of firing of oxytocin cells induced by neurotensin in virgin rats, but not in lactating rats, suggests that neurotensin (or other neurotransmitters/neuromodulators with similar actions) might establish conditions that predispose oxytocin cells to fire in milk-ejection bursts in lactating rats.
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PMID:Effects of neurotensin on the organization of activity in supraoptic nucleus cells in virgin and lactating rats. 1521 63