Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This report concerns the topographic immunohistochemical analysis of the putamen, globus pallidus (GP) and substantia nigra (SN) of two patients with adult-onset motor neuron disease with basophilic inclusions (MND/BIs), seven patients with sporadic classic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sporadic ALS) and five neurologically normal individuals. The striatal efferent terminals of the GP and SN were visualized immunohistochemically using antibodies to met-enkephalin (MEnk) and substance P (SP). In specimens from patients with sporadic ALS and normal subjects there was intense immunostaining for MEnk and SP throughout the external and internal segments of the GP, respectively. By contrast, a marked reduction of MEnk- and SP-positive striatal efferents was seen in the ventrocaudal portions of both GP segments from the MND/BIs patients. Moreover, while MEnk-positive striosomes was readily detected in the putamen of normals and sporadic ALS patients, there was significant reduction in MEnk immunoreactivity, and no evidence of striosomal organization in the putamen of MND/BIs patients. In addition, whereas the SN of patients with sporadic ALS expressed SP, the ventrolateral SN portion of the MND/BIs patient tested had reduced immunoreactivity. The present findings on patients with MND/BIs may represent a reflection of the topographic striatum degeneration in this disease and appear to provide additional evidence for the heterogeneity of MND.
 ...
PMID:Topographic involvement of the striatal efferents in basal ganglia of patients with adult-onset motor neuron disease with basophilic inclusions. 754 58

Microencapsulated genetically engineered cells have the potential to treat a wide range of diseases. For example, in experimental animals, implanted microencapsulated cells have been used to secrete growth hormone to treat dwarfism, neurotrophic factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, beta-endorphin to decrease pain, factor XI for hemophilia B, and nerve growth factors to protect axotomized neurons. For some applications, microencapsulated cells can even be given orally. They can be engineered to remove unwanted molecules from the body as they travel through the intestine, and are finally excreted in the stool without being retained in the body. This application has enormous potential for the removal of urea in kidney failure, ammonia in liver failure and amino acids such as phenylalanine in phenylketonuria and other inborn errors of metabolism.
 ...
PMID:Therapeutic uses of microencapsulated genetically engineered cells. 961 2