Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P20366 (substance P)
 21,176 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The tachykinin-1 gene in mammals produces structurally-related regulatory peptides, substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), neuropeptide K (NPK) and neuropeptide-gamma. The production of these peptides is regulated by both differential mRNA transcription and post-translational precursor processing. Such processes are known to be highly tissue- and species-specific. In this study, we have examined tachykinin-1 gene expression and precursor processing in porcine ocular tissues by employing specific tachykinin radioimmunoassays coupled with reverse phase HPLC characterization. Optic nerve, cornea, iris, ciliary body, retina, choroid and sclera were micro-dissected from freshly enucleated porcine eyes (n = 10). Following acidified ethanol extraction of tissues, dried extracts were reconstituted and subjected to two radioimmunoassays, one of which is highly specific for intact SP, the other for NKA, NKB, NPK and neuropeptide-gamma. In all tissue extracts except the retina, the molar concentration of SP immunoreactivity was significantly greater than that of NKA. These data would imply expression of both alpha- and beta-preprotachykinin-1 in these ocular tissues. Reverse phase HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of authentic SP and NKA in all tissue extracts. However, in extracts of the retina, NKA immunoreactivity co-eluted with synthetic NPK standard. These chromatographic data suggest differential processing of the beta-preprotachykinin-1 precursor in the retina compared with the other ocular tissues. Thus differential mRNA transcription of the tachykinin-1 gene coupled with differential precursor processing appears to occur in porcine ocular tissues and may be a process of functional significance in the regulation of visual physiology.
 ...
PMID:Tachykinin-1 gene products in porcine ocular tissues: evidence for transcriptional and post-translational regulation. 768 18

Optic nerve activity helps determine the placement of retinal ganglion cell terminals in the optic tectum of the frog. We investigated whether the presence of this nerve might also influence a characteristic of its target structure, neurotransmitter biosynthesis. We performed unilateral optic nerve transections on adult animals and assayed the percent and intensity of substance P- and serotoninlike immunoreactive (SP-ir and 5-HT-ir, respectively) cells in the deafferented and afferented tectal lobes. Regeneration of the optic nerve was prevented. The percent of SP-ir cells in the afferented tectal lobes was significantly less than that in the deafferented ones either 6 weeks or 5 months following optic nerve lesion. Comparison to normal animals indicated that the change in SP-ir expression was due to a decrease in the percent of immunoreactive cells in the afferented tecta ipsilateral to the optic nerve lesion. The serotoninlike immunoreactivity of tectal cells was also significantly different in the two lobes following optic nerve lesions. This difference resulted from an increase in the percent of 5-HT-ir cells in the deafferented tectum. In addition, the intensity of 5-HT-ir cells in the deafferented lobe was significantly greater than in the afferented one. The staining intensity of SP-ir cells underwent only a transient, relative decrease in the deafferented tectum. We conclude that the optic nerve does regulate substance P and serotonin expression in the tectum, but that this regulation likely occurs through different pathways.
 ...
PMID:Optic nerve-dependent changes in adult frog tectal cell phenotypes. 865 15

Ophthalmic sensory nerve fibers containing substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide' innervate the choroid in mammals and are known to vasodilate choroidal blood vessels. The avian choroid is also innervated by ophthalmic nerve fibers containing substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide. The present studies were carried out to determine the influence of these sensory fibers on choroidal blood flow in birds and characterize their interaction with manipulations affecting eye growth. In these studies, ChBF was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry in both eyes in the following groups of birds: (1) normal chicks; (2) chicks with right optic nerve transected for 2 weeks; (3) chicks with right optic nerve transected and a goggle over the right eye for 2 weeks; and (4) chicks with right optic and ophthalmic nerves transected and a goggle over the right eye for 2 weeks. The eyes were refracted and various ocular dimensions measured after the blood-flow measurements. It was found that optic nerve transection reduced ChBF to 30% of normal. Placing a goggle (which increases ocular temperature by 4 degrees C) over an optic nerve transected eye nearly doubled choroidal blood flow over that in an optic nerve transected eye without a goggle. Additional transection of the ophthalmic nerve in a goggled optic nerve-transected eye, yielded choroidal blood flow that was indistinguishable from that in a nongoggled optic nerve-transected eye. Optic nerve transection had a slight stunting effect on axial growth of the eye. While myopic axial elongation was observed in goggled eyes with the optic nerve cut, the extent of myopia was less than in normal goggled eyes. Ophthalmic nerve transection further reduced the myopia induced by goggling in an optic nerve cut eye. These results suggest that ophthalmic nerve input to the choroid exerts a vasodilatory influence, which is activated in a goggled eye. This increased choroidal blood flow may be in response to elevated ocular temperatures caused by the goggling and this increase appears to be masked in goggled eyes with an intact optic nerve by the reduction in choroidal blood flow normally accompanying myopic eye growth. Our results thus show that the induction of myopic eye growth (as in our optic nerve cut eyes with a goggle) need not be accompanied by a decrease in choroidal blood flow from the baseline no-goggle condition (in this case, with the optic nerve cut).
 ...
PMID:Influence of ophthalmic nerve fibers on choroidal blood flow and myopic eye growth in chicks. 1037 45