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

Many evidences support the existence of a bilateral connection between the thymic gland and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). In this respect, neurohormones such as the adrenal corticotropin hormone and glucocorticoids cause thymic involution, while the growth hormone and the prolactin upregulate thymic functions. On the other hand, a thymic hormone, the thymosin fraction 5, activates the HPAA, thus closing-up the regulatory loop between immune system and nervous system. In this review, a clinical trial with two thymic hormones (Timostimolina and Thymopentin) in agoraphobic patients with phagocytic dysfunctions is reported. Results obtained indicate that both substances lead to a partial and temporary immunological recovery, since a further depression of phagocytic activities occurs in coincidence with panic attack. The use of alternative immunomodulators in these patients is discussed.
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PMID:Role of thymic hormones in neuroimmunomodulation. Their use in patients with phobic disorders. 177 34

Thymopoietin and thymopentin are well characterized polypeptides influencing immunoregulation by several mechanisms. Proposed as a therapy in diseases with major immune abnormalities such as rheumatoid arthritis, thymopentin improved within 2 weeks some clinical parameters as pain and joint swelling. The hypothesis that this spectacular effect could be mediated through interactions with anti-inflammatory (ACTH) and pain relieving (beta-endorphin) hormones producing cells was tested on the rat isolated pituitary cell model. Thymopentin and thymopoietin can enhance in vitro the levels of ACTH, beta-endorphin and beta-lipotropin in a time- and dose-dependent fashion for physiological concentrations ranging from 10(-12) to 10(-8) mol/l. The action on pituitary cells was restricted to those molecules as no changes occurred in LH, FSH, GH, TSH and PRL levels, after otherwise identical experimental conditions.
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PMID:Thymopoietin and thymopentin enhance the levels of ACTH, beta-endorphin and beta-lipotropin from rat pituitary cells in vitro. 282 Jan 73

We studied the effect of thymopentin, a synthetic thymic peptide, on spontaneous behavior and stress models in BALB/c mice in which a WEHI 164 clone 13 murine fibrosarcoma had been implanted, as well as in the intact Sprague-Dawley rat. In untreated animals with tumors, spontaneous behavior was significantly inhibited. Resistance to swimming in cold water was also decreased in untreated animals. Thymopentin (10, 100, 1,000, and 5,000 micrograms/kg body weight, IP, 20 min before the test) enhanced spontaneous behavior in tumor-implanted mice. In addition, thymopentin partially restored floating capability of tumor bearers in either freely moving or animals on which an additional weight had been applied. In the latter test, plasma corticotropin and corticosterone levels were relatedly modified according to treatment. Rats treated with thymopentin showed a decreased sensitivity to painful stimuli. The effect of thymopentin was comparable to acetylsalicylate. Finally, thymic factors appeared capable of restoring the diminished behavioral activity of animals bearing tumors, as well as of increasing resistance to stressful stimuli and pain.
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PMID:Thymic factors influence on behavior in rodents. 838 55

The thymus provides an optimal humoral microenvironment for the development of immunocompetent T cells. Although yolk sac derived pre-T, committed hematopoietic stem cells enter the thymus using a homing receptor, the immigration process also requires secretion of a peptide called thymotaxin by the cells of the reticulo-epithelial (RE) network of the thymic cellular microenvironment. The majority of RE cells have a round or irregular pale nucleus, which contains few, scattered, chromatin granules with a defined, spherical nucleolus, rich in basic histones. Their cytoplasm occasionally displays RNP granules, and is rich in non-histone proteins, fine phospholipid, lipid or cholesterin granules, and vacuoles filled with secreted substances. The cells of the subcapsular, endocrine RE cell layer (giant or nurse cells), characterized by PAS positive granules, express A2B5/TE4 cell surface antigens and MHC Class I (HLA A, B, C) molecules. In contrast to medullar RE cells, these subcapsular nurse cells also produce thymosins beta 3 beta 4. Thymic nurse cells (TNCs) display a neuroendocrine cell specific immunophenotype (IP): Thy-1+, A2B5+, TT+, TE4+, UJ13/A+, UJ127.11+, UJ167.11+, UJ181.4+, and presence of common leukocyte antigen (CLA+). Medullar RE cells display MHC Class II (HLA-DP, HLA-DQ, HLA-DR) molecule restriction. These cells also contain transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) type II receptors and participate in the positive selection of T cells. Transmission electron-microscopic (TEM) observations have defined four functional subtypes of medullar RE cells: undifferentiated, squamous, villous, and cystic. All subtypes are connected by desmosomes. Immunocytochemical observations have shown that the secreted thymic hormones, thymosin alpha 1 and thymopoietin (and its short form, thymopentin or TP5), are produced by the same RE cells. Thymic RE cells also produce numerous cytokines including IL1, IL6, G-CSF, M-CSF, and GM-CSF that likely are important in various stages of thymocyte activation and differentiation. The co-existence of pituitary hormone and neuropeptide secretion, such as growth hormone, prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, somatostatin, oxytocin, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, arginine vasopressin, growth hormone releasing hormone, corticotropin releasing hormone, nerve growth factor, vasoactive intestinal peptide, (pro) enkephalin, and beta-endorphin, production of a number of interleukins and growth factors, as well as the expression of receptors for all, by the same RE cell is an unique molecular biological phenomenon. These data illustrate the immensely important and diverse immuno-neuroendocrine functions of the thymic RE cellular network. Based on our systematic observations of the thymus in humans and other mammalian species, we suggest that the thymic RE cell network represents an extremely important cellular and humoral microenvironment in homeopathic regulatory mechanisms of the multicellular organism. Intrathymic T lymphocyte selection is a complex, multistep process, influenced by several functionally specialized RE cell subtypes and under constant immuno-neuroendocrine regulation, reflecting the dynamic changes of the organism.
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PMID:Molecular biological ontogenesis of the thymic reticulo-epithelial cell network during the organization of the cellular microenvironment. 1045 6

The thyrnus provides an optimal cellular and humoral microenvironment for the development of immunocompetent T lymphocytes. Although yolk sac derived pre-T, committed hematopoietic stem cells enter the thymus using a homing receptor, the immigration process also requires secretion of a peptide, called thymotaxin by the cells of the reticulo-epithelial (RE) network of the thymic cellular microenvironment. The thymic RE cells are functionally specialized based on their location within the thymic microenvironment. Thus, although subcapsular, cortical, and medullary RE cells are derived from a common, endodermal in origin epithelial precursor cell, their unique location within the gland causes their specialization in terms of their immunophenotypical and in situ physiological properties. The subcapsular, endocrine, RE cell layer (giant or nurse cells) is comprised of cells filled with PAS positive granules, which also express A2B5/TE4 cell surface antigens and MHC Class I (HLA A, B, C) molecules. In contrast to the medullary RE cells, these subcapsular nurse cells also produce thymosins beta 3 and beta 4. The thymic nurse cells (TNCs) display a neuroendocrine cell specific immunophenotype (IP): Thy-1+, A2B5+, TT+, TE4+, UJ13/A+, UJ127.11+, UJ167.11+, UJ181.4+, and presence of common leukocyte antigen (CLA+). Medullar RE cells display MHC Class II (HLA-DP, HLA-DQ, HLA- DR) molecule restriction. These cells also contain transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta type II receptors and are involved in the positive selection of T cells. Transmission electronmicroscopic (TEM) observations have defined four, functional subtypes of medullary RE cells: undifferentiated squamous, villous and cystic. All subtypes were connected with desmosomes. The secreted thy nic hormones, thymulin, thymosin-alpha 1 and thymopoietin (its short form, thymopentin or TP5) were detected immunocytochemically to be produced by RE cells. Thymic RE cells also produce numerous cytokines including IL-1, IL-6, G-CSF, M-CSF, and GM-CSF molecules that likely are important in various stages of thymocyte activation and differentiation. The co-existence of pituitary hormone and neuropeptide secretion [growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), somatostatin, oxytocin (OT), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), arginine vasopressin (AVP), growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), nerve growth factor (NGF), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), pro-enkephalin (pro-enk), and beta-endorphin (beta-end)], as well as production of a number of interleukins and growth factors and expression of receptors for all, by RE cells is an unique molecular biological phenomenon. The thymic RE cell network is most probably comprised of cells organized into sub-networks--functional units composed of RE cells with differing hormone production/hormone receptor expression profiles, involved in the various stages of T lymphocyte maturation. Furthermore, it is quite possible that even on the level of individual RE cells, the numerous projections associated with a single cell, which engulf developing lymphocytes, nurturing and guiding them in their maturation, may differ in their hormone production and/or hormone receptor expression profile, thus allowing a single cell to be involved in distinct, separate steps of the T cell maturation process. Based on our systematic observations of the thymus in humans and other mammalian species, we suggest that the thymic RE cells represent an extremely important cellular and humoral network within the thymic microenvironment and are involved in the homeopathic regulation mechanisms of the multicellular organism, in addition to the presentation of various antigens to developing lymphocytes, and providing growth regulatory signals which may range from stimulatory to apoptotic signaling within the thymus. (ABSTRACT TRUNCA
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PMID:The role of the reticulo-epithelial (RE) cell network in the immuno-neuroendocrine regulation of intrathymic lymphopoiesis. 1092 21