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)

Alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone was shown to act synergistically with testosterone to stimulate the sebaceous, prostate and the seminal vesicles in hypophys-ectomized-castrated rats. The sebaceous glands differed from the other three organs in that alpha-MSH not only acted synergistically, but also had a significant effect which was independent of the presence of exogenous testosterone. The response of the brown adipose tissue to testerone, considerably reduced by hypophysectomy, was not restored by alpha-MSH. The Harderian and lachrymal glands were also pituitary-dependent and their weights in hypophysectomized-castrated rats were not restored by alpha-MSH.
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PMID:The synergistic action of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and testosterone of the sebaceous, prostate, preputial, Harderian and lachrymal glands, seminal vesicles and brown adipose tissue in the hypophysectomized-castrated rat. 119 15

In seminal vesicles, the organ producing most of seminal plasma in the bovine species, the pro-opiomelanocortin and the proenkephalin genes are transcribed and translated, and their translation products processed into opioid peptides, which are secreted into the seminal plasma. By using a micro-organ preparation of seminal vesicles we found that, after 20 h of incubation with labelled methionine, a multiplicity of opioids was produced. Among these, [Met]enkephalin and beta-endorphin were positively identified, whereas in the newly formed secretion only [Met]enkephalin was detected. This may be correlated to the finding that the concentration of beta-endorphin in an extract of seminal plasma was one order of magnitude lower than that of [Leu]enkephalin and [Met]enkephalin. These findings expand the picture of the presence of opioid peptides in the male reproductive tract, indicating that they should have a role(s) in the physiology of reproduction, not only in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, determining the reproductive potential, but also in the so-termed sex accessory glands, determining the actual events leading to reproduction. To our knowledge this is also the first case studied of opioid peptides produced as exocrine hormones.
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PMID:Expression of opioid genes in bovine seminal vesicles. 334 62

Previous studies from this laboratory have demonstrated immunostainable beta-endorphin-like material (beta-EP) in Leydig cells and epithelia of the epididymis, seminal vesicle and vas deferens of the rat. These observations would be strengthened if it could be demonstrated that they were not a peculiarity of the rat. Accordingly, we now present immunocytochemical evidence for the presence of beta-EP in the Leydig cells of mouse, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit. No immunoreactive material was identified in Sertoli, myoid, endothelial or germ cells of any of the species examined. Immunostainable beta-EP was also demonstrated in the epididymides of mouse, guinea pig, rabbit, and rat, but not hamster. Immunostainable material was also present in the epithelia of the vas deferens and seminal vesicles of mouse and rat, the only two species thus far examined. Since beta-EP was present in Leydig cells, we wondered whether this peptide could be identified in other steroid-producing tissues. When rat ovaries and adrenals were reacted with anti-beta endorphin, staining was demonstrated in corpus luteum and adrenal cortex. No staining was observed in the adrenal medulla or other portions of the ovary. In order to determine whether the beta-EP detected in the testis and epididymis was derived from a pituitary source, animals were hypophysectomized and tissues examined 2 weeks later. Both the Leydig cells and the epididymal epithelium remained immunostainable. In summary, immunostainable beta-EP has been identified in Leydig cells of five species. Stainable material is also present in the epithelium of other portions of the male reproductive tract and in steroid-secreting cells of the ovary and the adrenal. Such beta-EP may have a paracrine function in the testis and other portions of the male reproductive tract.
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PMID:Beta-endorphin is present in the male reproductive tract of five species. 629 53