Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P01185 (vasopressin)
 23,126 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) serves as integrator and link between the neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous systems. Neuropeptide-Y (NPY)-producing neurons in the arcuate nucleus project to the PVH, where neurons expressing NPY Y1 receptor (Y1R) have been demonstrated. This projection has been suggested to be involved in the regulation of parameters related to energy metabolism, e.g. food intake and thermoregulation. The present study aimed at characterizing this pathway and chemically defining Y1R-expressing neurons by means of immunohistochemistry. The densely distributed NPY-immunoreactive (ir) terminals in the PVH co-stained for agouti gene-related protein (AGRP) mainly in the medial parvocellular regions, indicating an origin in the arcuate nucleus. This was in contrast to noradrenergic/adrenergic terminals in the PVH, which were less frequently seen to contain NPY-like immunoreactivity. Furthermore, AGRP-ir terminals were seen forming abundant close appositions on Y1R-ir cell bodies. Double staining revealed co-existence of Y1R-like immunoreactivity and immunoreactivities for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and, to a minor extent, cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide in parvocellular neurons. No Y1R-like immunoreactivity was noted in parvocellular neurons expressing corticotropin-releasing hormone or in magnocellular neurons expressing vasopressin or oxytocin. The present results suggest that the arcuatoparaventricular NPY projection targets the TRH neurons preferentially via the Y1R, whereas the NPYergic regulation of corticotropinergic and magnocellular neurons may be relayed through other subtypes of NPY receptors. This study further defines the link between NPY-induced feeding and the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis.
 ...
PMID:Neuropeptide Y innervation and neuropeptide-Y-Y1-receptor-expressing neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus of the mouse. 1056 55

We determined cardiovascular and neurohormonal responses to intracerebroventricular administration of human cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide 55-102 in conscious rabbits. Intracerebroventricular injection of CART 55-102 elicited dose-related increases in mean arterial pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity. Peak values of mean arterial pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity induced by intracerebroventricular injection of 1 nmol of CART 55-102 (+5.0+/-2.6 mm Hg and +72.5+/-20.8%) were obtained 40 and 60 minutes after injection, respectively. Plasma epinephrine and glucose concentrations significantly increased 30 and 60 minutes after intracerebroventricular injection of CART 55-102 (control versus 60 minutes for epinephrine, 77.0+/-62.4 versus 1067.5+/-329.3 pg/mL, P<0.01; for glucose, 6.25+/-0.33 versus 11.57+/-0.93 mmol/L, P<0.01). Plasma norepinephrine concentrations also significantly increased at 30 minutes. Plasma insulin, vasopressin, and cortisol concentrations increased at 60 minutes but did not attain significant values. However, pretreatment with intravenous injection of pentolinium (5 mg/kg), a ganglion-blocking agent, eliminated these cardiovascular and neurohormonal responses. In contrast, intravenous injection of the same dosage of CART 55-102 (1 nmol) as that used in the intracerebroventricular experiment failed to cause any cardiovascular and renal sympathetic nerve responses. These results suggest that intracerebroventricular human CART 55-102 acts in the central nervous system and activates sympathoadrenal outflow, which results in increases in arterial pressure and plasma glucose levels in conscious rabbits.
 ...
PMID:Central human cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide 55-102 increases arterial pressure in conscious rabbits. 1171 4

The neuropeptides orexin-A and orexin-B are produced in neurons of the lateral hypothalamic area and have been implicated to be involved in the regulation of food/water intake and sleep-wake control. The orexins act at two different G-protein-coupled orexin receptors (OX-R1 and OX-R2) that are derived from separate genes and expressed differentially throughout the central nervous system. In the present study, we have used a polyclonal antipeptide antiserum to analyse in detail the distribution of OX-R1-immunoreactive neurons in the rat hypothalamus. In order to identify the chemical mediators of orexin action in the hypothalamus, the OX-R1-containing neurons were characterized with regard to the content of peptides shown previously to affect ingestive and drinking behaviour. Neurons containing OX-R1 immunoreactivity were widely distributed in the hypothalamus with cell bodies located in the suprachiasmatic, periventricular, paraventricular (both magno- and parvocellular division), supraoptic, arcuate, ventromedial, dorsomedial and tuberomammillary nuclei and the lateral hypothalamic area. In magnocellular neurons of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei, OX-R1 immunoreactivity was seen in both vasopressin- and oxytocin-containing neurons. OX-R1 immunoreactivity was demonstrated in vasopressin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, in somatostatin neurons of the periventricular nucleus and in corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons of the parvocellular paraventricular nucleus. In the arcuate nucleus, OX-R1 immunoreactivity was present in neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AGRP) neurons of the ventromedial part as well as in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) neurons of the ventrolateral division. In the lateral hypothalamic area, OX-R1 immunoreactivity was demonstrated in melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)- and orexin-containing neurons. In the hypothalamic tuberomammillary nucleus, OX-R1-immunoreactivity was shown in many histamine-containing neurons. The results support the idea that orexins have important actions on hypothalamic neurons that control food intake and fluid balance, but also that orexins may regulate other neuroendocrine systems.
 ...
PMID:Orexin receptor-1 (OX-R1) immunoreactivity in chemically identified neurons of the hypothalamus: focus on orexin targets involved in control of food and water intake. 1184 98

Anatomical relationships of hypothalamic cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) with other hypothalamic neuropeptides were examined by using in situ hybridization histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. CART mRNA was found in various regions in rat hypothalamus, including the periventricular nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, dorsomedial nucleus, perifornical regions, lateral nucleus, and the arcuate nucleus. In the paraventricular nucleus, CART mRNA is colocalized with vasopressin and corticotropin-releasing factor-containing neurons. Moreover, either fasting or diabetes attenuates CART mRNA expression in the hypothalamus, demonstrating that CART mRNA regulation is related to the fuel availability and peripheral hormonal status. Our findings suggest that the presence of CART mRNA in specific cell groups of the hypothalamus plays a role in hypothalamic regulation of neuroendocrine functions.
 ...
PMID:Functional characterizations of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript mRNA expression in rat hypothalamus. 1195 20

Self-administration of ethanol and food share many common features and Richter hypothesized that an increase in ethanol consumption would decrease feeding to balance the excess calories contained in the ethanol. Previously, we have shown that individual alcohol consumption correlates with neurotransmitter gene expression, especially in the prefrontal cortex. To test the hypothesis of Richter, we measured hypothalamic gene expression of receptors or neuropeptides of known relevance for the regulation of food intake using qPCR and correlated this to individual ethanol consumption in Wistar rats. For validation, gene expression was first correlated with body weight. We found a correlation of dynorphin, somatostatin, melanocortin-4 receptor and serotonin 5-HT(2C) with body weight and trends to correlation for CART, thus confirming the established role of the hypothalamus in the regulation of weight. For ethanol consumption, correlations were found for CRH receptors 1 and 2 and vasopressin while strong trends were observed for galanin receptor 1, orexin receptor 1, MCH and adrenoceptor alpha(1B). Therefore, alcohol consumption does seem to involve several hypothalamic systems which also mediate feeding responses and suggests that the hypothalamus, together with the prefrontal cortex, may determine the 'stopping point' of an individual.
 ...
PMID:The role of hypothalamic peptide gene expression in alcohol self-administration behavior. 1797 60

The protein fragment nesfatin-1 was recently implicated in the control of food intake. Central administration of this fragment results in anorexia and reduced body weight gain, whereas antisense or immunological nesfatin-1 antagonism causes increased food intake and overweight. Nesfatin-1 is derived from the precursor nucleobindin-2 (NUCB2). To identify the neurocircuitry underpinning the catabolic effects of NUCB2/nesfatin-1, we have used in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to map the distribution of this protein and its mRNA in the rat CNS and performed double-labeling experiments to localize its expression to functionally defined neuronal populations. These experiments confirm previous observations but also present several novel NUCB2 cell populations. Both NUCB2 mRNA and nesfatin-like immunoreactivity was most concentrated in the hypothalamus, in the supraoptic, paraventricular, periventricular and arcuate nuclei and the lateral hypothalamic area/perifornical region. Additionally, outside of the hypothalamus, labeling was observed in the thalamic parafascicular nucleus, the Edinger-Westphal nucleus, locus coeruleus, ventral raphe system, nucleus of solitary tract and in the preganglionic sympathetic intermediolateral cell column of the spinal cord, and the pituitary anterior and intermediate lobes. In neurons, immunoreactivity was almost exclusively confined to perikarya and primary dendrites with virtually no labeling of axonal terminals. Double-labeling immunohistochemistry revealed colocalization of nesfatin with vasopressin and oxytocin in magnocellular neuroendocrine neurons, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone, somatostatin, neurotensin, and growth-hormone-releasing hormone in parvocellular neuroendocrine neurons, pro-opiomelanocortin (but not neuropeptide Y) in the arcuate nucleus and melanin-concentrating hormone (but not hypocretin) in the lateral hypothalamus. Furthermore, nesfatin was extensively colocalized with cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript in almost all NUCB2-expressing brain regions. These data reveal a wider distribution of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 than previously known, suggesting that the metabolic actions of this protein may involve not only feeding behavior but also endocrine and autonomic effects on energy expenditure. In addition, the subcellular distribution of nesfatin-like immunoreactivity indicates that this protein may not be processed like a conventional secreted neuromodulator.
 ...
PMID:Distribution and neuropeptide coexistence of nucleobindin-2 mRNA/nesfatin-like immunoreactivity in the rat CNS. 1876 Oct 59

The hypothalamus has historically been subdivided into nuclei, agglomerations of cell bodies that are visually distinct in histological sections. Regulatory functions of metabolism have been assigned to the various hypothalamic nuclei principally by analysis of animals with lesions of individual nuclei but also via various means of stimulation, such as cooling or heating probes. Biochemical and molecular specificity of these studies became possible with the identification and synthesis of neurotransmitters as well as the means to manipulate the expression of endogenous neurotransmitters and their receptors by genetic means . The arcuate nucleus (ARC) is likely to be the primary site for neurons that sense circulating fuels and energy reserves (POMC/CART neurons, NPY/AGRP neurons), whereas the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) receives input from the ARC and harbors many of the releasing factors (CRF, TRH, vasopressin, and oxytocin) that control pituitary hormone release. The ventromedial nucleus (VMN) receives input from the ARC and plays a critical role in energy balance in parallel with the ARC. The VMN and PVN also send descending projections to the autonomic nervous system and other pathways that control ingestive behavior and metabolism. Developmental analyses have revealed that the neurons that comprise the hypothalamic nuclei arise by differentiation and migration from stem cells within the ventricular zone. Based on recent work, it is becoming clear that coordination between numerous transcription factors that determine specification, survival, and migration is necessary for the formation of the hypothalamus, with each nucleus being determined by its own unique set of factors. In this minireview, we will provide a selective view of the roles that transcription factors play in the developing hypothalamus.
 ...
PMID:Transcription factors in the development of medial hypothalamic structures. 1938 74

Hypophysiotropic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) neurons, the central regulators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, are located in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in a partly overlapping distribution with non-hypophysiotropic TRH neurons. The distribution of hypophysiotropic TRH neurons in the rat PVN is well understood, but the localization of these neurons is unknown in mice. To determine the distribution and phenotype of hypophysiotropic TRH neurons in mice, double- and triple-labeling experiments were performed on sections of intact mice, and mice treated intravenously and intraperitoneally with the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold. TRH neurons were located in all parts of the PVN except the periventricular zone. Hypophysiotropic TRH neurons were observed only at the mid-level of the PVN, primarily in the compact part. In this part of the PVN, TRH neurons were intermingled with oxytocin and vasopressin neurons, but based on their size, the TRH neurons were parvocellular and did not contain magnocellular neuropeptides. Co-localization of TRH and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) were observed only in areas where hypophysiotropic TRH neurons were located. In accordance with the morphological observations, hypothyroidism increased TRH mRNA content of neurons only at the mid-level of the PVN. These data demonstrate that the distribution of hypophysiotropic TRH neurons in mice is vastly different from the pattern in rats, with a dominant occurrence of these neurosecretory cells in the compact part and adjacent regions at the mid-level of the PVN. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that the organization of the PVN is markedly different in mice and rats.
 ...
PMID:Distribution of hypophysiotropic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-synthesizing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of the mouse. 2073 94

Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of a CAG repeat in the HD gene. Degeneration concentrating in the basal ganglia has been thought to account for the characteristic psychiatric symptoms, cognitive decline and motor dysfunction. However, the homeostatic control of emotions and metabolism are disturbed early in HD, and focused studies have identified a loss of orexin (hypocretin) neurons in the lateral hypothalamus in HD patients. There has been limited assessment of other hypothalamic cell populations that may be involved. In this study, we quantified the neuropeptide-expressing hypothalamic neurons known to regulate metabolism and emotion in patients with HD compared to healthy controls using unbiased stereological methods. We confirmed the loss of orexin-expressing neurons in HD and revealed substantial differences in the peptide expression of other neuronal populations in the same patients. Both oxytocin- and vasopressin-expressing neurons were decreased by 45 and 24%, respectively, while the number of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART)-expressing neurons was increased by 30%. The increased expression of CART in the hypothalamus is consistent with a previous study showing increased CART levels in cerebrospinal fluid from HD patients. There was no difference in the numbers of neuropeptide Y-expressing neurons. These results show significant and specific alterations in the peptide expression of hypothalamic neurons known to regulate metabolism and emotion. They may be important in the development of psychiatric symptoms and metabolic disturbances in HD, and may provide potential targets for therapeutic interventions.
 ...
PMID:Changes in key hypothalamic neuropeptide populations in Huntington disease revealed by neuropathological analyses. 2082 Dec 23

Nesfatin-1, a newly discovered NUCB2-derived satiety neuropeptide is expressed in several neurons of forebrain, hindbrain, brainstem and spinal cord. This novel anorexigenic substance seems to play an important role in hypothalamic pathways regulating food intake and energy homeostasis. Nesfatin-1 immunoreactive cells are detectable in arcuate (ARC), paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic nuclei (SON), where the peptide is colocalized with POMC/CART, NPY, oxytocin and vasopressin. The nesfatin-1 molecule interacts with a G-protein coupled receptor and its cytophysiological effect depends on inhibitory hyperpolarization of NPY/AgRP neurons in ARC and melanocortin signaling in PVN. Administration of nesfatin-1 significantly inhibits consumatory behavior and decreases weight gain in experimental animals. These recent findings suggest the evidence for nesfatin-1 involvement in other important brain functions such as reproduction, sleep, cognition and anxiety- or stress-related responses. The neuroprotective and antiapoptotic properties of nesfatin-1 were also reported. From the clinical viewpoint it should be noteworthy, that the serum concentration of nesfatin-1 may be a sensitive marker of epileptic seizures. However, the details of nesfatin-1 physiology ought to be clarified, and it may be considered suitable in the future, as a potential drug in the pharmacotherapy of obesity, especially in patients treated with antipsychotics and antidepressants. On the other hand, some putative nesfatin-1 antagonists may improve eating disorders.
 ...
PMID:Nesfatin-1, a unique regulatory neuropeptide of the brain. 2222 87


1 2 Next >>