Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P61278 (somatostatin)
 22,083 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A number of enzymatic methods have been developed to prepare hepatocytes using collagenase and hyaluronidase. However, best cell preparations are obtained by using only low concentrations of collagenase and exposing the liver to the enzyme for a very short period of time. These isolated cells with intact cell membranes and large numbers of microvilli on the cell surface respond to hormones at physiological concentrations suggesting that these microvilli contain hormone receptors. In addition, high glycogen content is essential to maintain the in vivo metabolic characteristics of the hepatocytes suggesting that intracellular glycogen plays an important role in the hormonal regulation of metabolism in hepatocytes. Studies with glucagon and insulin on carbohydrate metabolism show that the molar ratios of these hormones control gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis. Furthermore, in vitro addition of insulin stimulates glycogen synthesis and activates glycogen synthase. Insulin also stimulates protein synthesis in cells containing high glycogen and maintains more normal parallel strands of polyribosomes. Studies with isolated hepatocytes from diabetic, hypophysectomized and adrenalectomized animals show a reduced glucagon response to glycogenolysis. This lack of glucagon response was not due to reduction in glycogen levels. Other hormones such as somatostatin and parathyroid also give rise to alterations in carbohydrate metabolism in isolated hepatocytes.
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PMID:Studies of hormonal regulation of metabolism using isolated hepatocytes. 19 66

Several years of clinical chemotherapy have shown that, despite modern refinements, cytotoxic agents are not able to eradicate metastases of most adult solid tumors but only to prolong survival by achieving a cell kill that is not 100 per cent. Among the possible causes of this phenomenon, two are discussed in detail. The first one is cell autonomy. It is shown that the numbers of generations reached by a metastatic clone until clinical detection is largely in excess of 100, which allows for a considerable number of mutations, and that in addition genetic destabilization leading to autonomy proceeds much more rapidly than anticipated by a random mutation process. Adaptative changes by genetic amplification in response to toxic injury add to this acceleration effect, accounting for the fact that most metastatic cells are totally resistant very early in the natural history of a human tumor. On the other hand, it is shown that dormant metastatic cells do exist, due either to lack of autocrine growth factors or to inhibiting agents secreted by other metastases. These cells can survive chemotherapy and then re-enter a proliferative state due to some mechanisms that are analyzed, accounting for semi-late and late failures. These obstacles call for other strategies of metastases management, such as arresting or differentiating agents, some of which have been successfully tested by the author's group, such as antiprostaglandins, antithrombin, somatostatin, hyaluronidase, and retinoic acid. It remains to study their optimal combinations, and the appropriate timing, in order to achieve, if not eradication, growth suppression for very long periods without toxicity.
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PMID:Accelerated genetic destabilization and dormancy: two distinct causes of resistance in metastatic cells; clinical magnitude, therapeutic approaches. 240 88

1. Cells were dispersed from human foreskin using a mixture of collagenase and hyaluronidase and separated into mast cell-depleted (less than 1%) or enriched (greater than 75%) preparations by density-gradient centrifugation. 2. Challenge of gradient fractions with epsilon-chain-specific anti-human IgE stimulated the release of histamine, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and leukotriene C4 (LTC4). The release of eicosanoids was significantly correlated with that of histamine, suggesting that they are derived from the mast cell population of the dispersate. In highly purified (76.2 +/- 4.2%) mast cell preparations, maximum net release of histamine, PGD2 and LTC4 was 3432 +/- 725, 84.9 +/- 10.8 and 6.6 +/- 1.2 pmol/10(6) nucleated cells. 3. The non-immunological stimuli substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), somatostatin, compound 48/80, morphine and poly-L-lysine released similar amounts of histamine to anti-IgE, but 12 to 21 fold less PGD2 and LTC4. 4. These studies suggest that IgE-dependent and non-immunological stimuli activate human skin mast cells by different secretory mechanisms, a hypothesis supported by our previous findings of differences in Ca2+ requirements and time-course of histamine release. Activation by the non-immunological mechanism may be of importance in vivo due to the close anatomical association between skin mast cells and dermal nerve-terminals containing neuropeptides.
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PMID:Differential release of histamine and eicosanoids from human skin mast cells activated by IgE-dependent and non-immunological stimuli. 247 53

The pineal indole melatonin suppresses the neonatal rat luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) responses to LH-releasing hormone (LHRH), as shown in previous studies from this laboratory. We show in this study that the melatonin inhibition is a selective effect and is not due to general inhibition of pituitary function. The effects of the indole on the responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and somatostatin (SRIF) and on basal pituitary hormone secretion were examined with cells in culture. Neonatal rat anterior pituitary cells dissociated with collagenase and hyaluronidase were cultured overnight and distributed to 35-mm dishes at the time of use. For examination of melatonin effects on the response to releasing hormones, the cells were incubated for 3 h in control medium or medium containing LHRH (10-9-10-6 M), TRH (10-10-10-6 M), or SRIF (10-9-10-6 M), either alone or in the presence of melatonin (10-8 or 10-6 M). For examination of basal hormone secretion, the cells were incubated for 1.5, 3, 6, 15, or 24 h in either medium alone or medium containing melatonin (10-6 M). Medium and cell lysate concentrations of LH, FSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSh), prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) were determined by double antibody RIA. As previously, melatonin (10-8 M) significantly suppressed LH and FSH release by all concentrations of LHRH. This concentration of the indole produced maximal suppression of both LH and FSH responses to LHRH. By contrast, melatonin at a 100-fold greater concentration (10-6 M) had no effect on TRH stimulation of TSH or PRL release or on SRIF inhibition of GH release. Similarly, melatonin had no effect on basal release of TSH, PRL, or GH at the times examined. These findings show that melatonin inhibition of the gonadotroph response to LHRH is a selective effect.
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PMID:Selectivity of melatonin pituitary inhibition for luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone. 612 68

The properties of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors were analyzed in isolated pituitary cells prepared by enzymatic dispersion with trypsin or collagenase-hyaluronidase. The initial impairment of LH responses to GnRH in isolated cells prepared by both methods was reversed during culture for 2 days in multiwell vessels. However, specific binding sites for GnRH, assayed by equilibration with [125I]iodi0[D-Ser(t-BU)6]des-Gly10-GnRH N-ethylamide (GnRH-A) were demonstrable in collagenase-dispersed cells, both initially and after 2 days in culture. Cellular uptake of GnRH-A was temperature dependent, with rapid and saturable binding to a limited number of specific receptor sites with high affinity for the labeled analog (Ka = 4.0 +/- 0.8 X 10(9) M-1). These sites showed common binding specificity for GnRH-A and the native GnRH peptide, with significantly lower affinity for the natural peptide (Ka = 2.3 X 10(7) M-1). Other protein and peptide hormones, including ovine LH, ovine PRL, hCG, TRH, somatostatin, and angiotensin II (up to 10(-6) M) did not inhibit binding of GnRH-A to its receptors. Cellular binding of GnRH-A was followed by increased cGMP production and LH release within 10 min. The analog was 50 times more potent than native GnRH in stimulating LH release. The Kact values derived for GnRH and GnRH-A were 0.5 and 0.01 nM, respectively, considerably lower than the Kd values of 50 and 0.25 nM derived from receptor binding analysis. These results indicate that GnRH receptors can be identified in isolated pituitary cells, in which peptide binding is followed by increased cGMP production and LH release. The impaired LH responses in acutely dispersed pituitary cells are not due to the loss of receptor sites but to a reversible postreceptor defect. Occupancy of about 20% of the GnRH-binding sites elicits a near-maximal LH response, indicating the nonlinearity of GnRH-receptor coupling to secretory responses in the cultured gonadotroph.
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PMID:Characterization of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors in cultured rat pituitary cells. 625 Jul 93

The prognosis of some of the most prevalent conditions seems to be intricately related to myriad risk factors, largely modifiable, but often leading to irreversible complications when left unmanaged. This study exemplifies the multidisciplinary approach necessary, to successfully control diabetic retinopathy, one of the leading complications of diabetes, and to discuss promising therapies. Based on a Medline Ovid database search, we present a clinical and economic review of the evidence on the epidemiology and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy, its prognosis and economic implications. Among adults aged 20-74, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most frequent cause of blindness. However, in both types 1 and 2 DM, improved glycemic control reduces the development and progression of DR. Risk factors of DR include duration of diabetes, pregnancy, renal disease, age, smoking, alcohol, hyperlipidemia and antioxidants. A number of drugs may play a role in DR therapy in the coming few years; eg, somatostatin agonists (sandostatin), corticosteroids (triamcinolone, dexamethasone, fluocinolone), vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (pegaptanib, ranibizumab), hyaluronidase and plasmin enzyme. Whether these therapies have a clinically significant impact on DR progression however, remains to be seen.
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PMID:Diabetic retinopathy. 1966 79