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)

Exchange of information occurs between cells of neuroendocrine and immune systems. Neuroendocrine hormones may modulate lymphoid cell activities, including proliferation and mitogenesis, and immune cells may produce neuropeptides as well. Neuropetide Y is synthesized in B-cell leukaemia lymphoblasts, while substance P immunoreactivity has been detected in neoplastic haematological samples of different types of leukaemias. The presence of receptors for neuropeptides on different animal and human lymphoid cell lines, as well as in several types of animal and human lymphoproliferative diseases has been demonstrated. Species variability in receptor distribution has been shown as well. Receptor expression in immune cells may be regulated by changes in microenvironmental conditions, it may also be related to the activation and/ or proliferation state of cells. Vasoactive intestinal peptides receptors have been detected in myeloma cells, while somatostatin receptors have been first detected in vitro on resting lymphocytes and cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage, and later on human activated lymphocytes and on lymphoblastic leukaemia cells. Somatostatin receptors have been found in biopsies from patients with malignant lymphomas. Tumor localization in non-Hodgkin lymphomas and Hodgkin's disease can be visualized by in vivo somatostatin receptor scintigraphy, contributing to establish the diagnosis and the stage of the disease. Recently. somatostatin receptors have been in vivo and in vitro detected in human thymic tumors. Although treatment of lymphoproliferative diseases with somatostatin analogs is a little explored field, partial remission was found in patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and a successful treatment with octreotide has been reported in patients with thymoma. Specific somatostatin receptors present in progenitors of immune cells are not expressed in the mature phenotype, while they can be detected in transformed cell lines. The possibility that this phenomenon is caused by oncogene expression cannot be ruled out. Moreover, preliminary data showed a developmental expression of somatostatin receptors in lymphoid cells, suggesting a potential role for neuropeptide receptors as differentiation markers. Although controlled studies are warranted to investigate the efficacy of the currently available analogs, somatostatinergic compounds may be of interest in the treatment of lymphoproliferative malignancies. A promising approach in refractory patients with somatostatin receptor positive malignant lymphomas may be radionuclide-targeted and cytotoxic analog therapy. These concepts increase the possibility of a wider antitumor treatment with ligands for neuroepeptide receptors than in established 'classic' neuroendocrine tumors.
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PMID:Neuroendocrine aspects of immunolymphoproliferative diseases. 1176 38

The enteric nerve plexus in the colon was investigated in rats with chemically induced colonic adenocarcinoma. Tissue specimens from the colons of four group rats, namely controls, treated animals without development of colonic macro- or microscopic changes, rats with dysplasia and lymphoid hyperplasia, and rats with colonic adenocarcinoma were studied using immunocytochemistry, and quantified by computerized image analysis. No morphometeric changes were found in the treated rats regarding the myenteric and submucosal ganglia, with the exception of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), where the number of nerve cell bodies/ganglia was reduced in the myenteric ganglia in rats with both lymphoid hyperplasia and dysplasia, and carcinoma. The relative volume density of protein gene product (PGP) 9.5-immunoreactive (IR) nerve fibres was higher in the muscularis propria in rats with lymphoid hyperplasia and dysplasia, and carcinoma. However the relative volume density of PGP 9.5-IR nerve fibres was higher in the submucosa in rats with carcinoma only. The relative volume density of substance P- and VIP-IR nerve fibres was significantly higher in the muscularis propria in rats with colonic carcinoma. The relative volume density of NOS-IR nerve fibres was significantly decreased in both muscularis propria and submucosa in rats with lymphoid hyperplasia and dysplasia, and carcinoma. These findings imply that regulatory signals of the enteric innervation may be involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.
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PMID:Changes in the colonic enteric nervous system in rats with chemically induced colon dysplasia and carcinoma. 1254 27

One component of the protective host response against mucosal pathogens includes the local production and increased expression of certain neuropeptides and their receptors. The present study further demonstrates this fact by investigating the contribution that substance P receptor expression makes toward immunity against a gamma-herpesvirus infection. Following intragastric inoculation with murine gamma-herpesvirus 68 (gamma HV-68), expression of substance P and its receptor was increased in mucosal and peripheral lymphoid organs in wild-type strains of mice. These results suggested that this receptor/ligand pair might be an important component of the host response against this viral infection. Such a hypothesis was supported by the demonstration that mice, genetically deficient in substance P receptor expression, showed an increased viral burden when compared with syngeneic C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, substance P receptor-deficient mice showed a reduced CTL response against gamma HV-68, suggesting a mechanism to explain this increased viral burden. Such limitations in the Ag-specific CTL response in substance P receptor-deficient mice could result from lowered expression of IL-12 during viral infection. Consistent with this hypothesis, increases in mRNA encoding IL-12 and secretion of this cytokine into sera of infected, wild-type animals were markedly reduced in substance P receptor-deficient mice. These studies demonstrate that genetic elimination of substance P receptors in mice results in an increased gamma-herpesvirus burden and an altered host response.
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PMID:Reduced CTL response and increased viral burden in substance P receptor-deficient mice infected with murine gamma-herpesvirus 68. 1259 88

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is associated with exaggerated neurogenic inflammation in the airways. This study sought to determine whether irritation of the mucosal sensory fibers affects the recruitment of lymphocytes and monocytes to RSV-infected airways. Pathogen-free rats were inoculated with RSV or with virus-free medium and were injected 5 days later with capsaicin to stimulate airway sensory nerves. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed 1, 5, or 10 days after nerve stimulation, and samples were analyzed by differential cell count and flow cytometry. Without nerve stimulation, RSV caused a minimal increase in the number of lymphocytes and monocytes above pathogen-free control levels. After nerve stimulation, numerous lymphocytes, predominantly CD4+ T cells, and monocytes were recruited in the airways of infected rats, whereas no difference was found in pathogen-free controls. RSV induced overexpression of the neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor for substance P on discrete lymphocyte subpopulations within the bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT), and treatment with a specific NK1 receptor antagonist abolished the recruitment of both lymphocytes and monocytes to infected airways. Our data suggest that airborne irritants stimulating mucosal sensory fibers during RSV infection exert important immunomodulatory effects by attracting to the infected airways selected lymphocyte subpopulations from the local BALT as well as monocytes.
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PMID:Immunomodulatory effects of sensory nerves during respiratory syncytial virus infection in rats. 1263 40

A number of studies have implicated severe infections early in life as a risk factor for the subsequent development of asthma. In particular it has been suggested that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may enhance the development of "allergic" inflammatory responses when the host is exposed to allergens after an episode of bronchiolitis. It has also been suggested that neuronal mechanisms are important in RSV infection and subsequent airway hyperreactivity. Recently we advanced the hypothesis that immune and neuronal mechanisms may be linked and that combined neuroimmune responses may be in play. In the airways a dense network of sensory nerve fibers is strategically placed just below the epithelial surface so that any change in the bronchial environment may stimulate the release of the proinflammatory neuropeptide substance P. During RSV infection, stimulation of these nerves causes a marked increase in airway vascular permeability over that in pathogen-free rats and results in an increase in overall inflammatory status. Our work has revealed that these changes are mediated by the high affinity receptor for substance P [neurokinin (NK) 1 receptor], the expression of which is greatly increased by RSV. This up-regulation presumably occurs at the gene expression level, as NK1 receptor mRNA levels increase substantially during RSV infection. We have also shown that T lymphocyte subpopulations within the bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue in the lungs of RSV-infected rats express high levels of the NK1 receptor. As a consequence stimulation of the sensory nerves by any airborne irritant has the potential of causing a new inflammatory cycle mediated by NK1 receptor-expressing T lymphocytes attracted into the airways and activated by substance P. This mechanism may establish important neuroimmune interactions, which undergo long term dysregulation after RSV infection and predispose to airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. Finally our most recent studies show that RSV infection promotes a large increase in the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurotrophin receptors. RSV-induced release of NGF leads to short and long term changes in the distribution and reactivity of sensory nerves across the respiratory tract, participating to exaggerated inflammatory reactions during and after the infection. NGF and its receptors may also amplify other immunoinflammatory and neuronal pathways contributing to airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. On the basis of these observations, we postulate that changes of neurotrophin expression in the respiratory tract may represent an important link between early life viral infections and childhood asthma.
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PMID:Contribution of neuroimmune mechanisms to airway inflammation and remodeling during and after respiratory syncytial virus infection. 1267 55

Key concepts in brain tumor immunotherapy are reviewed. "Immunotherapy" can refer to a fully-developed, tumor-specific immune response, or to its individual cellular or molecular mediators. The immune response is initiated most efficiently in organized lymphoid tissue. After initiation, antigen-specific T lymphocytes (T cells) survey the tissues--including the brain. If the T cells re-encounter their antigen at a tumor site, they can be triggered to carry out their effector functions. T cells can attack tumor in many ways, directly and indirectly, through cell-cell contact, secreted factors, and attraction and activation of other cells, endogenous or blood-borne. Recent work expands the list of candidate tumor antigens: they are not limited to cell surface proteins and need not be absolutely tumor-specific. Once identified, tumor antigens can be targeted immunologically, or in novel ways. The immune response is under complex regulatory control. Most current work aims to enhance initiation of the response (for example, with tumor vaccines), rather than enhancing the effector phase at the tumor site. The effector phase includes a rich, interactive set of cells and mediators; some that are not usually stressed are of particular interest against tumor in the brain. Within the brain, immune regulation varies from site to site, and local neurochemicals (such as substance P or glutamate) can contribute to local control. Given the complexity of a tumor, the brain, and the immune response, animal models are essential, but more emphasis should be given to their limitations and to step-by-step analysis, rather than animal "cures".
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PMID:Brain tumor immunotherapy: an immunologist's perspective. 1295 81

1. Increasing evidence indicates the occurrence of functional interconnections between immune and nervous systems, although data available on the mechanisms of this bi-directional cross-talking are frequently incomplete and not always focussed on their relevance for neuroimmune modulation. 2. Primary (bone marrow and thymus) and secondary (spleen and lymph nodes) lymphoid organs are supplied with an autonomic (mainly sympathetic) efferent innervation and with an afferent sensory innervation. Anatomical studies have revealed origin, pattern of distribution and targets of nerve fibre populations supplying lymphoid organs. 3. Classic (catecholamines and acetylcholine) and peptide transmitters of neural and non-neural origin are released in the lymphoid microenvironment and contribute to neuroimmune modulation. Neuropeptide Y, substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and vasoactive intestinal peptide represent the neuropeptides most involved in neuroimmune modulation. 4. Immune cells and immune organs express specific receptors for (neuro)transmitters. These receptors have been shown to respond in vivo and/or in vitro to the neural substances and their manipulation can alter immune responses. Changes in immune function can also influence the distribution of nerves and the expression of neural receptors in lymphoid organs. 5. Data on different populations of nerve fibres supplying immune organs and their role in providing a link between nervous and immune systems are reviewed. Anatomical connections between nervous and immune systems represent the structural support of the complex network of immune responses. A detailed knowledge of interactions between nervous and immune systems may represent an important basis for the development of strategies for treating pathologies in which altered neuroimmune cross-talking may be involved.
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PMID:Autonomic innervation of immune organs and neuroimmune modulation. 1456 34

The immune system and the nervous system maintain extensive communication, including 'hardwiring' of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves to lymphoid organs. Neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, norepinephrine, vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P and histamine modulate immune activity. Neuroendocrine hormones such as corticotropin-releasing factor, leptin and alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone regulate cytokine balance. The immune system modulates brain activity, including body temperature, sleep and feeding behavior. Molecules such as the major histocompatibility complex not only direct T cells to immunogenic molecules held in its cleft but also modulate development of neuronal connections. Neurobiologists and immunologists are exploring common ideas like the synapse to understand properties such as memory that are shared in these two systems.
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PMID:Elaborate interactions between the immune and nervous systems. 1528 54

Tachykinins represent a family of neuropeptides sharing similar C-terminus sequences, but exhibiting preferential binding to one of three receptors called neurokinin receptors (NK-R). While known for its role in contracting smooth muscle or acting as a pain signal neurotransmitter, substance P (SP) and other tachykinins can directly influence immune responses. Studies from the early 1980s revealed that human lymphocytes bore NK-R, but it remains unclear, even to-date, why such receptors are expressed on leukocytes. Nerve tracing studies have provided some speculation that the nervous system can assist the immune system in stimulating an immune response dependent upon which neuropeptide-bearing fibers infiltrate specific lymphoid structures. Such observations have important implications for regulating mucosal responses given that tachykinin-bearing nerve fibers extensively innervate the gut, and SP concentrations in the gut are second only to the brain. Such evidence suggests that SP and related neuropeptides may be important in controlling bacterial infections of the gut. This is shown by blocking SP action in which mice show increased susceptibility to Salmonella infections since induction of IFN-gamma is significantly reduced. In addition, the absence or its presence of SP's or the newly discovered lymphocyte-derived neurokinin called hemokinin's action can modify host IgA responses. Thus, tachykinins introduce new circuits to immune regulation suggesting that these neuropeptides exhibit cytokine- and chemokine-like action.
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PMID:The role of tachykinins on bacterial infections. 1535 50

Evidence suggests that the immune and neuroendocrine systems cross talk by sharing ligands and receptors. Hormones and neuropeptides produced by the neuroendocrine system often modulate the function of lymphoid organs and immune cells. We have previously reported the intrathymic expression of somatostatin (SOM) in the mouse and that several neuropeptides, most notably calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), SOM and substance P (SP), can modulate thymocyte development. However, little is known about the intrathymic expression of these neuropeptides either in the mouse or in other species. Moreover, a comparative analysis of the expression of these molecules would highlight the evolutionary importance of intrathymic neuroendocrine interactions in T-cell development. We have studied the expression of different neuropeptides in the thymus of zebrafish, Xenopus, avians, rodent, porcine, equine and human by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We found that CGRP, NPY, SOM, SP and vasointestinal polypeptide (VIP) are expressed in the thymus of all species investigated. The thymic location of many of these neuropeptides was conserved and appears to be within the stromal compartments. Interestingly, in the avian thymus the expression of CGRP, SOM and SP appears to change depending on the age of the tissue. These findings suggest that neuropeptides may play an important role in T-cell development and provide further evidence of cross talk between the immune and neuroendocrine systems.
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PMID:Evolutionary conservation of neuropeptide expression in the thymus of different species. 1663 30


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