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)

A functional interaction between the immune and the nervous system has been suggested, with neuropeptides acting as immunomodulators. Somatostatin (SOM) is a neuropeptide, mainly produced in the brain, that binds to five different receptors (SSTR). It is believed that SOM along with one of its receptors, SSTR2, is expressed in the murine thymus, although their exact localization is unresolved. We found that SOM is highly expressed in both cortical and medullary epithelial cells whereas its receptor SSTR2 is expressed on thymocytes. In order to elucidate its role in thymopoiesis, SOM was added in fetal thymic organ culture (FTOC) and found to increase thymocyte numbers and enhance maturation. SOM increased the cellular proliferation of total splenocytes but inhibited proliferation of thymocytes and purified splenic T cells. Furthermore, SOM was able to induce the migration of thymocytes. We also investigated the effect of four other neuropeptides in FTOC and found that, vasoactive intestinal peptide had a marginal effect, whereas substance P increased thymic cellularity, at intermediate but not at low or high concentrations. In contrast, both neuropeptide Y and calcitonin gene-related peptide reduced thymocyte numbers. This study supports the hypothesis for a role of neuropeptides, particularly somatostatin, in immune regulation and development.
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PMID:Somatostatin is expressed in the murine thymus and enhances thymocyte development. 1211 37

Small intestinal carcinoids (SICs) are the most prevalent gastrointestinal carcinoid and characterized by local invasion metastasis and protean symptomatology. The proliferative and secretory regulation of the cell of origin, the enterochromaffin (EC) cell has not been characterized. The absence of either a pure preparation of normal EC cells or human EC carcinoid cell lines has hindered the development of therapeutic agents. We therefore further characterized the neoplastic SIC cell line, KRJ-I by assessing its secretory (serotonin (5-HT)) and proliferative responses and defining its log growth phase transcriptome. Electron microscopy demonstrated oval, lobulated nuclei and substance P, and 5-HT-positive cytoplasmic vesicles. RT-PCR detected transcripts for chromogranin A (CHGA), VMAT1 (SLC18A1), tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH1), substance P (TAC1), guanylin (GUCA2A), and SERT (SLC6A4). By immunohistochemistry, all cells were positive for CHGA, SERT, VMAT1, and TPH1. Transcriptome analysis (Affymetrix U133 Plus chips) identified somatostatin SSTR2/3, adrenergic alpha1C and beta1, dopamine D2, nicotinic-type cholinergic A5, A6, B1, muscarinic acetylcholine M4, and 5-HT-2A receptors. The presence of transcripts for SSTR1, SSTR2, and SSTR3 receptors was confirmed by RT-PCR and sequencing. Isoproterenol (ISO) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in intracellular cAMP (EC50=340 nM) and 5-HT (EC50=81 nM) which was completely inhibited by the cAMP antagonist 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine (10 microM). Preincubation with a SSTR agonist, lanreotide, inhibited Ip-stimulated 5-HT secretion (IC50=420 nM). Both lanreotide (10 nM) and rapamycin (50 nM) inhibited proliferation (20+/-12 and 35+/-5% respectively) in serum-free medium whereas gefitinib (1 nM-10 microM) inhibited proliferation at micromolar concentrations. KRJ-I is a neoplastic EC cell line that can be used as an in vitro model of SICs as it will allow elucidation and clarification of the secretory and proliferative mechanism(s) of neoplastic EC cells and the molecular signatures that characterize each of these responses.
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PMID:Further delineation of the continuous human neoplastic enterochromaffin cell line, KRJ-I, and the inhibitory effects of lanreotide and rapamycin. 1724 79