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)

The various hypothalamic nuclei show very different patterns of change in ageing. These patterns are a basis for changes in biological rhythms, hormones, autonomous functions or behavior. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) coordinates circadian and circannual rhythms. A marked seasonal and circadian variation in the vasopressin (AVP) cell number of the SCN was observed in relation to the variation in photoperiod. During normal ageing, the circadian variation and number of AVP-expressing neurons in the SCN decreases. The sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN), intermediate nucleus or INAH-1 is localized between the supraoptic and paraventricular nucleus (PVN). In adult men the SDN is twice as large as in adult women. In girls, the SDN shows a first period of decreasing cell numbers during prepubertal development, leading to sexual dimorphism. During ageing a decrease in cell number is found in both sexes. The cells of the supraoptic nucleus and PVN produce AVP or oxytocin and coexpress tyrosine hydroxylase. These nuclei are examples of neuron populations that seem to stay perfectly intact in ageing. Parvicellular corticotropin-releasing-hormone (CRH)-containing neurons are found throughout the PVN. CRH neurons in the PVN are activated in the course of ageing, as indicated by their increase in number and AVP coexpression. Part of the infundibular (or arcuate) nucleus, the subventricular nucleus, contains hypertrophic neurons in postmenopausal women. The hypertrophied neurons contain neurokinin-B (NKB), substance P and estrogen receptors and probably act on LHRH neurons as interneurons. The NKB neurons may also be involved in the initiation of menopausal flushes. The nucleus tuberalis lateralis might be involved in feeding behavior and metabolism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Ageing of the human hypothalamus. 772 Dec 67

Neuropeptidergic innervation of the human prostate, seminal vesicle and vas deferens was investigated by immunohistochemical methods. The innervation pattern of all organs was very dense. Neuropeptide Y- and tyrosine hydroxylase-positive nerve fibers were most abundant and localized mainly in the smooth muscle layer. On the contrary, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-positive nerve fibers were mainly found beneath the epithelium. Also leu-enkephaline-, peptide histidine isoleusine- and calcitonin gene-related peptide-positive nerve fibers could be observed in all organs, but somatostatin-positive nerves only in the prostate and seminal vesicle and met-enkephalin- and substance P-positive nerves only in the prostate.
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PMID:Peptidergic innervation of the human prostate, seminal vesicle and vas deferens. 777 Nov 81

The participation of sympathetic adrenal innervation in the control of the neonatal adrenocortical system and in changes in adrenal sensitivity after maternal separation for 24 h was tested in 10- and 23-day-old pups. Chemical sympathectomy by guanethidine (20 mg/kg body wt) decreased basal and stimulated corticosterone compound B (B) secretion without affecting adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release, abolished the enhanced adrenal sensitivity to ACTH induced by maternal separation in 10-day-old pups, but did not modify adrenal sensitivity following ether stress in 23-day-old pups. Guanethidine treatment did not affect body and adrenal weight or adrenal choline acetyltransferase activity, but it increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity at both ages. Both chronic guanethidine treatment and acute corticotropin-releasing factor immunoneutralization reduced plasma B levels after maternal separation without affecting plasma ACTH levels. Maternal separation in 10-day-old pups enhanced basal and stimulated ACTH and B secretion after exposure to ether vapors and insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH). In nonseparated pups, IIH did not stimulate ACTH secretion and caused small increases in B secretion; however, the enhanced response of separated pups to IIH was due to the effects of intraperitoneal injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Chemical sympathectomy and maternal separation affect neonatal stress responses and adrenal sensitivity to ACTH. 777 91

The goal of the present study was to identify cytochemical markers characteristic of muscle afferents in hatchling chicks. To this end, we stained neurons in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus with a variety of markers that label subsets of neurons in avian dorsal root ganglia. We found that trigeminal mesencephalic neurons are surprisingly heterogeneous in their cytochemical make-up, expressing, to varying degrees, substance P, cholecystokinin, carbonic anhydrase, calbindin D-28k, parvalbumin, and S-100 beta. Calbindin D28k and S-100 beta appeared to be expressed equally in medial and lateral divisions of the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus. In contrast, substance P- and cholecystokinin-immunoreactive neurons were more abundant in the medial division, whereas carbonic anhydrase activity and parvalbumin immunoreactivity were stronger in the lateral division. We were unable to detect met-enkephalin, neuropeptide Y, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, somatostatin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, or tyrosine hydroxylase in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus. Moreover, these neurons did not appear to bind the lectin Dolichos biflorus agglutinin. The heterogeneity of expression of markers among trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus neurons, especially between neurons in the medial and lateral divisions, suggests that these neurons are functionally diverse.
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PMID:Cytochemical characteristics of neurons in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus of hatchling chicks. 788 44

In mouse melanoma melanocytes, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) stimulates differentiation, melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these events have not yet been characterized. We have studied the activation of tyrosinase by MSH. Treatment of B16 melanoma cells with either theophylline, MSH, or its superpotent analog [Ahx4, DPhe7]MSH promotes a larger induction of tyrosine hydroxylase than of dopa oxidase activity in whole cell extracts. This higher activation of tyrosine hydroxylation was found not only in the melanosomal but also in the microsomal fraction; it appears to be dependent on continued transcription and translation since it can be blocked by actinomycin and cycloheximide. The tyrosinase activity of control and theophylline-treated extracts displayed several kinetic differences, including different Km values for both substrates and requirements for the cofactor L-dopa. SDS/PAGE, followed by a sensitive specific activity stain, demonstrated that melanosomes of control cells contain one lower-electrophoretic-mobility form of tyrosinase, whereas melanosomes of cells treated with either theophylline or MSH display, in addition to the lower-mobility form, a faster-migrating activity band. These tyrosinase forms are not interconvertible by proteolysis or deglycosylation. Their nature is discussed as related to the properties of the previously described low- and high-electrophoretic-mobility tyrosinases (LEMT and HEMT), as well as of the proteins encoded by the c and b loci.
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PMID:Tyrosinase isoenzymes in mammalian melanocytes. 2. Differential activation by alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. 790 Oct 10

Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) is a highly effective therapy for the treatment of major depression, but its mechanisms of action are not known. We report that repeated ECS in rats produces enduring changes in two clinically relevant stress-responsive brain systems: (a) the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulated by corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the paraventricular nucleus; and (b) the NE system in the locus coeruleus regulated by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). CRH and TH mRNA levels in these brain regions were assessed by in situ hybridization histochemistry. A single interaural ECS elevated TH but not CRH mRNA measured 24 h later. Repeated daily treatments (3, 7, or 14) elevated both mRNAs, maximally with 7, correlating with the time course of clinical efficacy. The elevations persisted for 3 (CRH) or 8 wk (TH) after the ECS. No other therapeutic treatment is known to produce such long-lasting changes in central nervous system gene expression. The time course of events (delayed onset, long duration) implicate CRH as a principal mediator of the antidepressant effects of ECS. The locus coeruleus-NE system may be important in initiating the central nervous system response.
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PMID:Repeated electroconvulsive shock produces long-lasting increases in messenger RNA expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone and tyrosine hydroxylase in rat brain. Therapeutic implications. 791 18

The effects of intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) injected interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the median eminence and on serum adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and prolactin (PRL) levels were studied in freely moving male rats chronically implanted with i.c.v. cannulas. IL-1 beta stimulated TH activity of the median eminence in a dose-dependent manner. Intracerebroventricular injections of 100 ng and 200 ng IL-1 beta significantly increased TH activity in the median eminence by 40.6% and 74.7% respectively over the saline-injected control group. The stimulation of ACTH secretion was statistically significant for all doses used, however i.c.v. injections of IL-1 beta failed to elicit significant changes in the serum PRL concentrations. These results suggest that IL-1 beta increases dopaminergic activity of the medial basal hypothalamus to produce its neuroendocrine effects.
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PMID:Interleukin-1 beta stimulates tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the median eminence. 791 98

The morphological support of interactions between enkephalins and three systems--beta-endorphin (beta-END), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), or neuropeptide Y (NPY)--well represented in the arcuate nucleus, was examined by using an electron microscopic double immunostaining combining two sensitive chromogens, diaminobenzidine (DAB) and tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The first step consisted of visualizing Metenkephalinergic terminals with DAB reaction product, and the second one involved detecting the antigens TH, beta-END, and NPY in their respective neurons with TMB reaction product. Ultrastructural analysis revealed enkephalinergic terminals presynaptic to TH-immunopositive cells and dendrites, principally in the dorsal portion of the arcuate nucleus. Enkephalinergic nerve terminals also contacted synaptically ventrolaterally located beta-END-immunoreactive cells. In the ventromedial arcuate nucleus, few synaptic contacts were observed between enkephalinergic boutons and NPY neurons, which were principally in close apposition with glial processes. Enkephalin-immunoreactive synapses were more frequently seen on TH-immunopositive neurons. This TH neuronal group is known to correspond to the dopaminergic tuberoinfundibular neurons implicated in the control of reproductive functions. The pattern of distribution of the different synapses within the arcuate nucleus (TH dorsal, beta-END ventrolaterally; NPY ventromedially) suggests that enkephalins may play a role in the neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin and prolactin secretion. The results provide evidence that enkephalins, in the arcuate nucleus, exert a postsynaptic action on the beta-END cells in addition to the presynaptic regulation previously demonstrated in the mediobasal hypothalamus, related to beta-END release. Moreover, the arcuate nucleus is a site of intercellular relationships between enkephalins and dopamine and between enkephalins and other peptides such as NPY.
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PMID:Ultrastructural evidence for synaptic inputs of enkephalinergic nerve terminals to target neurons in the rat arcuate nucleus. 798 9

A case of carcinoid tumor of the lung with focal melanin production was encountered in a 56 year old Japanese woman. The tumor was found 16 years previously by mass survey chest X-ray and had enlarged two-fold in the intervening period. The tumor consisted of a variety of tumor cells showing a spindle, polygonal and pleomorphic appearance with abundant vasculature in the stroma. All tumor cells showed argyrophilia, together with a few showing argentaffinity. Melanin-containing tumor cells were also present in parts. Ultrastructurally, most tumor cells possessed various numbers of neurosecretory granules and a few of them contained granular type melanosomes. Tumor cells were connected with desmosomes and a few of them contained tonofilament-like microfilaments. Only a few contained both neurosecretory granules and melanin. By immunohistochemistry, serotonin, met-enkephalin and beta-endorphin positive cells were observed scattered throughout the tumor. A few tumor cells positive for tyrosine hydroxylase were also detected. Additionally, most tumor cells were positive for keratin. On the basis of these findings, the tumor of the current case is a pulmonary carcinoid tumor with focal melanin production.
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PMID:Peripheral carcinoid tumor of the lung with focal melanin production. 804 98

The neurotoxic effects of estradiol on hypothalamic arcuate neurons were examined in a model of chronic estrogenization induced by means of a single injection of estradiol valerate (EV). Eight weeks after EV treatment, a 60% decrease in the total number of beta-endorphin-immunoreactive neurons was detected in the arcuate nucleus. In contrast, the numbers of neurotensin-, somatostatin-, and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons were unchanged, suggesting that the effects of estradiol were selective for beta-endorphin neurons. Further evidence for the selectivity of estradiol's actions was provided by RIAs indicating decreases in hypothalamic beta-endorphin concentrations, but not in Metenkephalin or neuropeptide-Y concentrations. Cell counts performed in Nissl-stained material using unbiased stereological methods revealed a reduction in the total number of neurons in the EV-treated group compared to that in the controls. The estimated number of neurons lost (approximately 3500) corresponded precisely with the total number of beta-endorphin neurons lost (approximately 3600), as estimated using quantitative immunocytochemistry. These results confirm the selectivity of estradiol's effect on the beta-endorphin cell population and demonstrate that the observed decrease in beta-endorphin immunoreactivity reflects actual cell loss. The evidence indicates that the selective neurotoxic effect of estradiol on hypothalamic beta-endorphin neurons contributes to reproductive senescence, suggesting that steroids may participate in disruption of the biological functions that they normally facilitate.
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PMID:Estradiol is selectively neurotoxic to hypothalamic beta-endorphin neurons. 809 38


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