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)

An immunocytochemical analysis with 33 antisera was undertaken to investigate the localization of 25 different neurotransmitter-related antigens in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus in the rat. To obtain estimates of relative densities of immunoreactive axons a stereological approach was used involving counting of intersections of immunoreactive axons with a superimposed semi-circle test grid. All neurotransmitter-related antigens found in perikarya within the suprachiasmatic nucleus, including those stained with antisera against bombesin, gastrin-releasing peptide, neurophysin, vasopressin, somatostatin, gamma-aminobutyrate, glutamate decarboxylase and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide were also found in axons within the nucleus. A greater number of these immunoreactive axons was found within the nucleus than in the adjacent anterior hypothalamus. The size of all immunoreactive axons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus was consistently small; immunoreactive axons were found ramifying widely in the nucleus, often ending with terminal boutons near perikarya immunoreactive for the same antigen. All neurotransmitter-related substances found in perikarya of the suprachiasmatic nucleus were also found in axons crossing over the midline to innervate the contralateral nucleus, providing an anatomical substrate for a high degree of communication between the paired nuclei. Axons immunoreactive for other putative transmitters including serotonin arising outside the nucleus were also found in high densities within the nucleus and crossing over the midline between the nuclei. Immunoreactivity for some transmitters was found in axons of similar densities within and outside the nucleus, including antisera against tyrosine hydroxylase; a small number of dopamine beta-hydroxylase and a few phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase-immunoreactive axons were found in the SCN, suggesting that dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine may occur in a limited number of axons in the nucleus. Small numbers of axons immunoreactive with antisera raised against cholecystokinin, prolactin, substance P, thyrotropin-releasing hormone and choline acetyltransferase were found within the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Axons immunoreactive for luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and neurotensin were rarely found within the suprachiasmatic nucleus; axons immunoreactive for luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, cholecystokinin and tyrosine hydroxylase were found in both horizontal and coronal sections in the area between the left and right suprachiasmatic nuclei.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Neurotransmitters of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus: immunocytochemical analysis of 25 neuronal antigens. 241 88

A dense peptidergic innervation has been demonstrated in the substantia innominata region in postmortem specimens of human brain using immunocytochemical techniques. A peptidergic innervation of the nucleus of Meynert - the prominent nucleus of this area containing the cholinergic cell bodies which innervate the cerebral cortex - has been demonstrated by immunostaining with antisera against the following eight neuropeptides: somatostatin, substance P, cholecystokinin octapeptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, met-enkephalin, ACTH, alpha-MSH and oxytocin. Other immunocytochemical features of the substantia innominata region include a dense band of peptide immunoreactivity beneath the medial aspect of the anterior commissure and islands of somatostatin and substance P terminal immunoreactivity in the rostral part of the substantia innominata. Somatostatin immunostained cell bodies have been located in a discrete area of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and in the rostral portion of the substantia innominata, nucleus accumbens and the ventral part of the putamen. The dense band of peptide immunoreactivity beneath the medial aspect of the anterior commissure consists of ribbon-like processes stained with antisera against somatostatin, substance P, cholecystokinin octapeptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and met-enkephalin. Less intense immunostaining of ribbon-like elements is also present in the globus pallidus. The presence of a peptidergic innervation to the nucleus of Meynert suggests a possible important modulatory role in cortical cholinergic function.
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PMID:Neuropeptide localisation in the substantia innominata and adjacent regions of the human brain. 241 23

The medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) is a sexually dimorphic complex with three major subdivisions. The cell-dense central (MPNc) and medial (MPNm) subdivisions are larger in male rats, while the cell-sparse lateral subdivision (MPNl) occupies a majority of the nucleus in females. In the present study we evaluated the distribution of possible monoaminergic and peptidergic cells and fibers within the MPN, as well as in adjacent regions of the medial preoptic area of the adult male rat. For this, we used an indirect immunohistochemical method with antisera to serotonin (5HT), dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), neuropeptide Y (NPY), cholecystokinin (CCK), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), substance P (SP), neurotensin (NT), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), luteotropin-releasing hormone (LRH), somatostatin (SS), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), oxytocin (OXY), vasopressin (VAS), adrenocorticotropic hormone (1-24; ACTH), alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), leucine-enkephalin (L-ENK), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). The results suggest that cell bodies and/or fibers crossreacting with all of these putative neurotransmitters are differentially distributed within the MPN. Within the MPNm, the densest plexuses of fibers were stained with antisera to SP and NPY, while moderate densities of fibers were stained with anti-DBH, SS, CCK, CGRP, ACTH, and alpha-MSH, and only a few fibers were stained with anti-5HT, TH, NT, VAS, and L-ENK. Moderate numbers of SP- and L-ENK-immunoreactive cell bodies, and a few SS-, NT-, CRF-, and TRH-stained cell bodies were also found within the MPNm. The MPNc contained a dense plexus of CCK-immunoreactive fibers, as well as a few CRF-immunoreactive fibers. Both fiber types were localized almost exclusively to this subdivision, while most of the others studied here appeared to avoid it selectively. This suggests that there are relatively few inputs to the MPNc, and that they tend to avoid other parts of the nucleus, although moderate densities of DBH- and NPY-immunoreactive fibers were found in both the MPNm and MPNc. The MPNc contained several CCK-immunoreactive cell bodies as well as a moderate number of TRH-stained cell bodies. Both cell types were nearly completely localized to the MPNc. The major inputs to the MPNl studied here appear to be stained with antisera to 5HT and L-ENK, although moderate numbers of NT- and CRF- immunoreactive fibers were also found in this part of the nucleus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Neurotransmitter specificity of cells and fibers in the medial preoptic nucleus: an immunohistochemical study in the rat. 242 28

Binding sites for oxytocin (OXT) and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) in brain of homozygous Brattleboro rats were immunocytochemically visualized after ventricular administration of the peptides by Accurel implants. Two patterns were found: 'ring type' staining in perineuronal structures was observed in CA1 and CA3 areas of ventral hippocampus and in subiculum for OXT implanted brains and a very weak staining in striatum for alpha-MSH-implanted brains; cytoplasmic staining of intracellular binding sites was observed in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) in brains with OXT implants and in the anterodorsal thalamic nucleus (AD) and postcingulate cortex in brains with alpha-MSH implants. These localizations are different from those described for vasopressin binding sites in the same rat strain.
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PMID:Immunocytochemically stained binding sites for oxytocin and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in rat brain following ventricular administration. 242 69

In this study in conscious rats, we tested the hypothesis that substance P, a central pressor peptide and a potential transmitter substance of pain pathways, could be involved in the cardiovascular defense reaction that is typically associated with unpleasant sensory stimuli. The hemodynamic responses to centrally administered substance P were pharmacologically characterized. The increases in blood pressure and heart rate after intracerebroventricular injections of substance P were accompanied by mesenteric and renal vasoconstriction and hind limb vasodilation (pulsed-Doppler flow probes). The pressor and vasoconstrictor responses were attenuated by peripheral alpha 1-adrenoceptor blockade with prazosin but were not influenced by blockade of vascular vasopressin receptors with d(CH2)5Tyr(Me) arginine vasopressin (AVP). Cardiac beta 1-adrenoceptor blockade with metoprolol abolished the tachycardic and reduced the pressor responses. Substance P-induced hind limb vasodilation was not sensitive to intravenous atropine but was largely prevented by peripheral beta 2-adrenoceptor blockade with ICI 118,551. Thus, the substance P-induced pressor effects are mediated by alpha 1-adrenergic sympathetic vasoconstriction and beta 1-adrenergic cardiac stimulation, whereas the hind limb vasodilation is mainly due to beta 2-adrenergic stimulation. Substance P dose-dependently (0.01-10 micrograms i.c.v.) released oxytocin but not vasopressin or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary gland. High doses reduced basal ACTH levels. Together with the hemodynamic responses, a behavioral arousal reaction was observed, which included increased locomotion, grooming, scratching, and skin biting. Our results demonstrate that a neuropeptide can induce classic cardiovascular defense reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Substance P induces a cardiovascular defense reaction in the rat: pharmacological characterization. 245 61

The purpose of the present study was to quantify the extent to which several peptides and serotonin coexist with substance P or somatostatin in selected lumbar dorsal root ganglia of the cat. The technique for the simultaneous visualization of two antigens by immunofluorescence was used to investigate the coexistence of neuropeptides in the lumbar dorsal root ganglia of colchicine-treated cats. Perikarya immunoreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide, galanin, leu-enkephalin, somatostatin, and substance P were visualized in both the lumbar 5 and 6 dorsal root ganglia. In contrast, no immunoreactivity was observed for adipokinetic hormone, bombesin, dynorphin A, met-enkephalin, oxytocin, tyrosine hydroxylase, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, vasopressin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, or serotonin in either ganglion examined. Substance P coexisted with calcitonin-gene-related peptide, somatostatin, and leu-enkephalin. Somatostatin was colocalized with calcitonin gene-related peptide, leu-enkephalin, and substance P but coexisted with galanin minimally. The cell area of immunoreactive perikarya was also examined. Data concerning the cross-sectional area of immunoreactive cells indicated that somatostatin-immunoreactive perikarya were generally the largest population observed (up to approximately 6,000 microns2). Somatostatin and calcitonin gene-related peptide, as well as substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide, coexisted in populations of cell bodies that had a smaller size (less than 2,000 microns2). These results suggest that certain peptides which coexist in the dorsal root ganglia may provide histochemical markers for functional groups of primary afferent neurons.
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PMID:Lumbar dorsal root ganglia of the cat: a quantitative study of peptide immunoreactivity and cell size. 247 1

The localization of thyrotropin-releasing hormone-immunoreactive structures was investigated in the hypothalamo-hypophyseal complex of the frog, Rana ridibunda, by light and electron microscopy using the conventional indirect immunoperoxidase technique and the immuno-gold technique, respectively. The localization of mesotocin-, vasotocin- and neurophysin-immunoreactive elements was compared to that of thyrotropin-releasing hormone either by comparing homologous fields on serial sections or by staining the same section with two different antibodies. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone-immunoreactive perikarya occurred mainly in the anterobasal periventricular area and dorsal extension of the preoptic nucleus, and in the lateral zone of the infundibular nucleus. In the anterobasal preoptic nucleus, the distribution of thyrotropin-releasing hormone-immunoreactive perikarya partially overlapped that of vasotocin- and mesotocin-containing neurons; however, co-localization of thyrotropin-releasing hormone with either nonapeptide could not be detected there. In contrast, in the caudal extension of the preoptic nucleus, thyrotropin-releasing hormone- and mesotocin-like immunoreactivities were frequently co-localized in the same neurons. In the external zone of the median eminence, abundant networks of thyrotropin-releasing hormone- and vasotocin-immunoreactive nerve fibers were found in the vicinity of portal capillaries, while mesotocin-immunoreactive axons were only found in the internal zone. Using the immuno-gold technique at the electron microscopic level, three distinct thyrotropin-releasing hormone-immunoreactive systems were identified in the median eminence-neurointermediate lobe complex. (1) In the external zone of the median eminence, a conspicuous population of pericapillary endings contained 100-nm dense core vesicles immunoreactive solely for thyrotropin-releasing hormone. (2) In the neural lobe of the pituitary, thyrotropin-releasing hormone immunoreactivity occurred on secretory vesicles in a subpopulation of the mesotocinergic axons containing 160-nm secretory granules; co-localization with vasotocin was never seen. (3) In the intermediate lobe, thyrotropin-releasing hormone- and mesotocin (or neurophysin I)-immunoreactivities were systematically found in the same 120-nm dense core vesicles; these thyrotropin-releasing hormone-/mesotocin-immunoreactive axon terminals frequently made synaptic contacts with melanotropic cells. The possible modulatory effect of mesotocin on thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone secretion was investigated using perifused frog neurointermediate lobes. Administration of graded doses of mesotocin (from 10(-10) to 10(-5) M) did not affect the spontaneous release of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. In addition, mesotocin (10(-7) and 10(-6) M) did not modify thyrotropin-releasing hormone-evoked alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Three distinct thyrotropin-releasing hormone-immunoreactive axonal systems project in the median eminence-pituitary complex of the frog Rana ridibunda. Immunocytochemical evidence for co-localization of thyrotropin-releasing hormone and mesotocin in fibers innervating pars intermedia cells. 251 4

Measurements were made of the effects of intracerebroventricular treatment with beta-endorphin (BE; 100 ng) on the arginine-8-vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin contents of rat hypothalamic and limbic brain areas (hippocampus, amygdala and septum). The hormone concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. The administration of BE resulted in a significant reduction of the AVP level in the amygdala in a naloxone-reversible manner. Naloxone (Nal) administered subcutaneously significantly increased the AVP content in the septum. The results revealed that BE and Nal had regionally specific effects on the activity of the vasopressinergic system but not on that of the oxytocinergic system in the brain.
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PMID:The effects of beta-endorphin on arginine-8-vasopressin and oxytocin levels in rat brain areas. 252 2

The posterior pituitary contains a PRL-releasing factor (PRF), a small (less than 5000 mol wt) peptide which is distinct from known PRL secretagogues. The objectives of this study were to determine if posterior pituitary extracts specifically stimulate PRL release in vivo and to assess the relative contributions of oxytocin (OT), arginine vasopressin (AVP), and beta-endorphin (beta END) to the PRF activity of the extract. Rat posterior pituitaries or cerebellar tissue were extracted with 1.0 N acetic acid, boiled, and ultrafiltered through 5000 mol wt cutoff membranes. The eluates were treated with performic acid (which oxidizes disulfide bonds and methionine residues), lyophilized, and reconstituted in saline. Jugular blood was collected from conscious ovariectomized rats before and after intracarotid injection of test substances and was analyzed for PRL, LH, and GH by RIA. Injection of 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0, posterior pituitary equivalents increased plasma PRL levels by 2-, 8-, and 22-fold, respectively. PRL levels peaked within 5 min after the injection and returned to basal levels by 30 min. Plasma LH levels decreased slightly, and GH was unchanged. Cerebellar extracts did not affect plasma hormone levels. Injection of OT induced a 4-fold rise in plasma PRL levels. Oxidation of OT was well as AVP with performic acid abolished any PRL-releasing activity. Injection of beta END increased plasma PRL levels by 7-fold. Treatment of beta END with performic acid caused a 60% loss in its ability to release PRL. Pretreatment of rats with naloxone abolished the PRL-releasing effect of beta END, but did not alter the PRF activity of posterior pituitary extracts. We conclude that posterior pituitary extracts stimulate PRL release in vivo in the presence of an intact dopaminergic inhibition. This stimulation is rapid, dose dependent, and hormone specific. OT, AVP, and beta END do not contribute significantly to the PRF activity in the posterior pituitary extract.
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PMID:The posterior pituitary contains a potent prolactin-releasing factor: in vivo studies. 252 28

The present study describes the topography of immunoreactive (ir) oxytocin (OXY) and vasopressin (AVP) neurons in the forebrain of Equus caballus and the coexistence of ir proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides in the same cells. These data are compared to those for other mammalian species and the possible significance of species variations is considered. As expected, magnocellular neurons of the equine hypothalamus, which contain ir OXY or AVP, have prominent discernible projections to the neurohypophysis. Further, as in other mammalian species, the field of ir OXY perikarya generally extends rostral and dorsal to groups of ir AVP cell bodies, and caudal projections from OXY neurons appear to be more numerous than ir AVP projections to the brainstem and/or spinal cord. Interestingly, however, the brain of E. caballus also contains: (1) perikarya staining for OXY in the arcuate nucleus, (2) ir AVP and OXY cell bodies in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and (3) neurons in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei that stained for beta-endorphin but not for other posttranslational products of POMC or dynorphin. These results give further credence to the proposal that there is an evolutionary relationship between OXY-, AVP- and POMC-producing hypothalamic neurons. Whether or not species differences in peptide coexistence reflect functional differences in neuronal populations or species differences in residual genomic expression by these neuroendocrine cells warrants further investigation.
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PMID:Topography of oxytocin and vasopressin neurons in the forebrain of Equus caballus: further support of proposed evolutionary relationships for proopiomelanocortin, oxytocin and vasopressin neurons. 252 77


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