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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (
beta-endorphin
)
21,003
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Peptides function as chemical signals between cells of multicellular organisms, or different organisms, via specific receptors on target cells. Many hormones, neuromodulators, and growth factors are peptides. Because there is no known reuptake system for peptides at the nerve terminal, the biological activity of peptides in the extracellular space is regulated by enzymatic degradation and extracellular metabolism. For example,
angiotensin I
is processed extracellularly in the lung by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE; E.C. 3.4.15.1), a peptidyl dipeptidase, to form the potent vasoconstrictor hormone angiotensin II. When neuropeptides are released from neurons into the extracellular space, specific peptidases also can modulate the peptidergic signal by generating smaller, biologically active fragments via products with similar or dissimilar characteristics of the parent peptide. Therefore, receptor-binding selectivity of a released peptide hormone can be regulated by peptidases. Because peptidases may play a key role in the extracellular regulation of peptidergic signaling, alterations in peptidase activities by drugs or disease states may lead to disruptions in biological homeostasis. The subject of this article is the role of peptidases in the central nervous system in the formation of biologically active, receptor-specific peptides from peptide E,
beta-endorphin
, neurotensin, and cholecystokinin.
...
PMID:Peptidases in the CNS: formation of biologically active, receptor-specific peptide fragments. 822 10
In addition to increasing blood pressure, stimulating aldosterone and vasopressin secretion, and increasing water intake, angiotensin II affects the secretion of anterior pituitary hormones. Some of these effects are direct. There are angiotensin II receptors on lactotropes and corticotropes in rats, and there may be receptors on thyrotropes and other secretory cells. Circulating angiotensin II reaches these receptors, but angiotensin II is almost certainly generated locally by the pituitary renin-angiotensin system as well. There are also indirect effects produced by the effects of brain angiotensin II on the secretion of hypophyseotropic hormones. In the anterior pituitary of the rat, the gonadotropes contain renin, angiotensin II, and some angiotensin-converting enzyme. There is debate about whether these cells also contain small amounts of angiotensinogen, but most of the angiotensinogen is produced by a separate population of cells and appears to pass in a paracrine fashion to the gonadotropes. An analogous situation exists in the brain. Neurons contain angiotensin II and probably renin, but most angiotensin-converting enzyme is located elsewhere and angiotensinogen is primarily if not solely produced by astrocytes.
Angiotensin II
causes secretion of prolactin and
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
when added to pituitary cells in vitro. Paracrine regulation of prolactin secretion by angiotensin II from the gonadotropes may occur in vitro under certain circumstances, but the effects of peripheral angiotensin II on ACTH secretion appear to be mediated via the brain and
corticotropin
-releasing hormone (CRH). In the brain, there is good evidence that locally generated angiotensin II causes release of norepinephrine that in turn stimulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone-secreting neurons, increasing circulating luteinizing hormone. In addition, there is evidence that angiotensin II acts in the arcuate nuclei to increase the secretion of dopamine into the portal-hypophyseal vessels, inhibiting prolactin secretion. Central as well as peripheral angiotensin II increases CRH secretion, but there is little if any evidence that angiotensin II mediates the ACTH responses to other stressful stimuli.
...
PMID:Blood, pituitary, and brain renin-angiotensin systems and regulation of secretion of anterior pituitary gland. 834 4
Atrial and brain natriuretic peptides specifically bind to primary cultures of calf adrenal glomerulosa cells. Binding of both natriuretic peptides to the same receptor has been proved by: a Dixon plot showing competitive effects for the binding of 125I-labeled brain natriuretic peptide in the presence of increasing concentrations of unlabeled atrial natriuretic peptide; a Scatchard plot showing a lower dissociation constant (Kd) for atrial natriuretic peptide than for brain natriuretic peptide binding, but the maximum binding (Bmax) values were the same; autoradiography of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels after cross-linking of 125I-labeled atrial natriuretic peptide and 125I-labeled brain natriuretic peptide, showing the same molecular weights for both peptide receptors--a single 66-kD band in whole cells and a main band at 125 kD in membranes. C-Type atrial natriuretic peptide only slightly displaced atrial natriuretic peptide binding.
Angiotensin II
- and potassium-mediated stimulation of aldosterone production were inhibited strongly and to the same degree by atrial and brain natriuretic peptide but only slightly by C-type atrial natriuretic peptide. Stimulation of aldosterone production mediated by
adrenocorticotropin
was only partially inhibited by atrial and brain natriuretic peptide, while baseline aldosterone was not affected. These results suggest that atrial and brain natriuretic peptide bind to the same receptors and provoke the same effects on aldosterone production. The weak effects found with C-type atrial natriuretic peptide suggest that the primary culture of calf adrenal glomerulosa cells contain the guanylate cyclase A receptor.
...
PMID:Adrenal receptors for natriuretic peptides and inhibition of aldosterone secretion in calf zona glomerulosa cells in culture. 839 12
In untreated congestive heart failure, aldosterone plasma concentrations are elevated in proportion to the severity of the disease and are further increased by the use of diuretic treatment.
Angiotensin II
, plasma potassium concentration, and
corticotropin
are the major stimulators of aldosterone synthesis. During angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, the role of alternative major or minor regulatory mechanisms may become significant. This may explain why during continuous ACE inhibition, after an initial reduction, plasma aldosterone measurements may subsequently increase to pretherapeutic levels. In addition to causing sodium and water retention, aldosterone contributes to hypokalaemia and hypomagnesaemia, which may induce electrical instability and death of cardiac myocytes. Aldosterone is also one factor involved in cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, which, together with myocardial cell death, may underlie progressive adverse myocardial remodelling. Evidence for a direct vascular effect of aldosterone suggests that this hormone may contribute to generalized vasoconstriction. Elevated plasma aldosterone levels can also contribute to depression of baroreflex sensitivity, and they are associated with increased mortality in patients with severe heart failure. Experimental and clinical research should be further expanded to investigate the potential benefits of opposing the effects of aldosterone by use of specific antagonists or other potentially more potent pharmacological agents with favourable side-effect profiles.
...
PMID:Aldosterone and heart failure. 868 70
Although both angiotensin II (
Ang II
) and potassium ion (K+) induce marked elevations of cytosolic free calcium concentration, [Ca2+]c, in adrenal zona glomerulosa cells-an effect which is thought to trigger aldosterone synthesis-
Ang II
is also known to reduce the sustained [Ca2+]c rise induced by K+. We have examined whether this effect of
Ang II
on the calcium messenger system is reflected at the level of the final biological response, aldosterone synthesis. In superfused isolated rat glomerulosa cells, K+ (8 mM) induced a sustained, 60-fold increase in aldosterone production. In contrast, the maximal response to
Ang II
(10 nM) amounted to only 10 times the basal production. When added subsequent to K+ stimulation,
Ang II
provoked an immediate and dramatic drop in aldosterone synthesis, to levels obtained with
Ang II
alone. Under conditions of maximal K+ stimulation, this effect depended upon
Ang II
concentration, while the well-known synergistic effect was observed with submaximal concentrations of both agonists. The inhibitory effect of
Ang II
could be reproduced with dioctanoylglycerol, a selective activator of protein kinase C. By contrast, the aldosterone response to
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
was not affected by
Ang II
. At submaximal concentrations of ACTH, the steroidogenic effect of
Ang II
was even additive to that of ACTH. Thus, we have shown that, under conditions of maximal stimulation,
Ang II
exerts a profound inhibition of steroidogenesis in K(+)-stimulated rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. This counter-regulatory mechanism may ensure adequate levels of aldosterone production in vivo.
...
PMID:Demonstration of an angiotensin II-induced negative feedback effect on aldosterone synthesis in isolated rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells. 879 59
A
corticotropin
-releasing hormone (CRH) test was performed on 7 patients with central diabetes insipidus (DI) and on 7 healthy subjects. The test was repeated on the patients with DI after 3 days of oral treatment with captopril at a dose of 100 mg daily. No significant difference in the responses of plasma ACTH and cortisol to CRH between the patients and the controls was found. The short-term captopril treatment resulted in a significant decrease of both basal and CRH-stimulated ACTH and cortisol levels in the patients with DI. CRH did not induce any changes in the stable metabolite of prostaglandin E2 13, 14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin E2 (PGE2-M) in the patients with DI before or after the captopril treatment. The results obtained suggest that vasopressin is not an obligatory factor for a normal ACTH response to CRH.
Angiotensin II
(A II) is involved in the regulation of ACTH. This study confirmed our previous data showing the lack of any specific effect of CRH on PGE2 production.
...
PMID:Effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone on ACTH, cortisol and 13, 14-dihydro-15-keto prostaglandin E2 in patients with diabetes insipidus before and after captopril treatment. 888 55
Long-term infusion of
angiotensin I
(ANG I) into the ovine fetus has been shown to cause excess accumulation of fetal fluid in the allantoic compartment. It was hypothesized that this resulted from sustained increases in fetal urine production, and the hormonal basis was examined. ANG I (6.7 micrograms/h, n = 6) or isotonic saline (n = 6) was infused for 3 days into chronically cannulated ovine fetuses (112-122 days of gestation). ANG I caused an immediate and progressive increase in mean arterial blood pressure (from 42 +/- 2 to 57 +/- 4 mmHg), increased urine flow rate (from 15 +/- 3 to 48 +/- 8 ml/h), and increased glomerular filtration rate (from 97 +/- 15 to 146 +/- 24 ml/h), without significant changes in fetal plasma concentrations of aldosterone, atrial natriuretic factor (ANF),
adrenocorticotropin
, or cortisol. There were substantial increases in sodium and chloride excretion, due to both increased fetal urine concentrations and fetal urine flow, without significant changes in urine osmolality (from 134 +/- 9 to 147 +/- 12 mosmol/kg water). There were no significant changes in any parameter in the saline-infused fetuses. Neither amniotic or allantoic fluid volume was significantly changed by ANG I infusion, but allantoic fluid Cl- concentration increased significantly. The conclusions are that ANG I caused a diuresis and natriuresis in the fetal sheep independent of changes in cortisol or ANF.
...
PMID:Renal, hormonal, and cardiovascular responses to chronic angiotensin I infusion in the ovine fetus. 922 7
A chymostatin-sensitive angiotensin II-generating enzyme was found in human gastroepiploic arteries. The enzyme was purified using heparin affinity and gel filtration columns. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was 30 kDa, and the optimum pH was between 7.5 and 9.0. Enzyme activity was inhibited by soybean trypsin inhibitor, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and chymostatin, but not by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, pepstatin and aprotinin. The enzyme rapidly converted
angiotensin I
to angiotensin II (K(m), 67 mumol/l; Vmax, 43 pmol/s, kcat, 65/s), but did not hydrolyse angiotensin II, substance P, bradykinin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, somatostatin and
alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone
. The N-terminal sequence was identical to the sequence for human skin/heart chymase. Thus, the chymostatin-sensitive angiotensin II-generating enzyme in human vascular tissues is identified as chymase.
...
PMID:Characterization of chymase from human vascular tissues. 935 25
Angiotensin II
(
AII
)-containing neurons with cell bodies in the rostral medial hypothalamus and axons project to the external layer of the median eminence, so that
AII
maybe released into the hypophyseal portal vessels for actions on the pituitary gland. Indeed, intrahypothalamic actions of the peptide on the release of hypothalamic hormones and direct actions on the pituitary have been reported. To determine the role of endogenously released
AII
in hypothalamic-pituitary hormone release, we have determined the effects of central immunoneutralization of
AII
upon the plasma concentrations of prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
. Specific antiserum directed against
AII
(AB-
AII
) or normal rabbit serum (NRS), as a control, was microinjected into third ventricular (3 V) cannulae of conscious, ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Immediately before and at various intervals after this procedure, blood samples were withdrawn through previously implanted external jugular catheters. Three hours after injection of the AB-
AII
, plasma PRL levels diverged from those of the NRS-injected animals and progressively increased from 4 to 24 h after administration of the antiserum. Results were similar with respect to plasma GH, except that the increase in the AB-
AII
animals above that in the NRS-injected controls from 4 to 6 h was not significant, but was highly significant on measurement 24 h after injection, at which time plasma GH was three times higher than in control rats. Similarly, following injection of AB-
AII
, plasma TSH values did not diverge significantly from those of the NRS-injected controls until 3 h after injection. From 3 to 5 h they remained constant and significantly elevated above values in the NRS-injected controls with a further nonsignificant increase at 6 h. At 24 h, there was no longer a difference between the values in both groups. In contrast to the significant elevations in plasma hormone levels observed with respect to PRL, GH, and TSH following injection of the antiserum, there was no change in plasma ACTH between the AB-
AII
-injected and NRS-injected animals throughout the same period of observation. Previous results by others have shown that intraventricular injection of
AII
has a suppressive action on the release of PRL, GH, and TSH. Consequently, we believe that the antiserum is acting intrahypothalamically to block the action of
AII
within the hypothalamus, resulting in the elevation of the three hormones mentioned. Therefore, the
AII
neurons appear to have a physiologically significant suppressive action on the release of hypothalamic neurohormones controlling the release of PRL, GH, and TSH. In contrast, there apparently is no effect of intrahypothalamically released
AII
on the secretion of
corticotropin
-releasing factors under these nonstress conditions. We cannot rule out an action of the antiserum at the pituitary level; however, in view of the fact that the actions of
AII
directly on the gland are to stimulate PRL, GH, TSH, and ACTH release, it appears that the antiserum was acting at the hypothalamic level.
...
PMID:Angiotensinergic neurons physiologically inhibit prolactin, growth hormone, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, but not adrenocorticoptropic hormone, release in ovariectomized rats. 935 54
We compared glucocorticoid receptor binding characteristics and glucocorticoid responsiveness of human mononuclear leukocytes (HML) from hypertensive patients and matched normotensive volunteers. We also considered associations of these variables with plasma renin activity, aldosterone, cortisol,
corticotropin
, and electrolyte concentrations. We calculated binding affinity (Kd; nmol/L) and capacity (Bmax; sites/cell) for dexamethasone and cortisol from homologous and heterologous competition curves for specific [3H]dexamethasone binding sites on HML isolated from the blood of normotensive volunteers and subjects with essential hypertension. Glucocorticoid responsiveness of HML was evaluated as IC50 values (nmol/L) for dexamethasone and cortisol for the inhibition of lysozyme release. We measured plasma hormones by radioimmunoassay. Kd values (mean+/-SE) for cortisol in HML of hypertensive patients were higher than in control subjects (24.6+/-2.4 versus 17.5+/-1.7 nmol/L, P<.04). Binding capacity (4978+/-391 versus 4131+/-321 sites/cell), Kd values for dexamethasone (6.7+/-0.5 versus 5.7+/-0.3 nmol/L), and IC50 values for dexamethasone (3.4+/-0.3 versus 3.1+/-0.2 nmol/L) and cortisol (12.2+/-1.6 versus 9.5+/-0.3 nmol/L) were not significantly different. Patients with renin values less than 0.13 ng
angiotensin I
/L per second were markedly less sensitive to cortisol than those with higher values. Both Kd (30.3+/-2.5 versus 19.2+/-2.4 nmol/L) and IC50 values (15.5+/-1.8 versus 8.9+/-1.2 nmol/L) for cortisol were significantly higher in patients with lower renin values (P<.03). Other variables, including plasma hormone and electrolyte values and binding characteristics for dexamethasone, were not different. These data suggest that cortisol binding to glucocorticoid receptor is slightly impaired in patients with essential hypertension. In vivo, this could lead to inappropriate binding of cortisol to mineralocorticoid receptors. Hence, decreased sensitivity to cortisol is associated with renin suppression. This hypothesis is supported by evidence of hypertension and low renin activity, which others have described in patients with primary glucocorticoid resistance due to mutations of the glucocorticoid receptor.
...
PMID:Impaired cortisol binding to glucocorticoid receptors in hypertensive patients. 936 87
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