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)

The visceral yolk sac (YS), a simple bilayer structure formed during gastrulation, supplies blood cells and intestine- and liver-like functions to support embryonic growth. To better understand gene regulation in extraembryonic tissues, we examined the early murine YS for expression of the homeobox family of developmental transcription regulators. We identified a subset of known homeobox sequences (Hox 1l, b1, a9, c9, a7, b7, b8, a10, cdx-1, and PDX-1), as well as two novel homeodomains consisting of a fourth labial class Hox genes and one that matches the Antennapedia class on the amino acid level. The two most frequently isolated YS Hox genes, a9 and c9, are initially expressed only in the YS (E.5) and subsequently expressed in both the embryo and YS (E8.5). Another of the identified genes, PDX-1, is involved in pancreatic development and insulin regulation. Whereas the4 rodent YS is known to produce insulin from mid to late gestation, YS insulin expression had not been examined earlier in development . We detected insulin mRNA in the YS at both E7.5 and E8.5, prior to expression in the embryo proper or formation of the pancreas. However, other pancreatic products, such as glucagon, somatostatin, and carboxypeptidase A, are not expressed in the YS. In situ analysis indicates insulin is produced in YS mesothelial cells and endoderm cells, but not in blood cells. We hypothesize the early expression of insulin in the YS is required for the expansion of insulin responsive cells including primitive erythroblasts.
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PMID:Expression of homeobox genes, including an insulin promoting factor, in the murine yolk sac at the time of hematopoietic initiation. 929 63

Most of the smaller diameter neurons of dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia in adult rats expressed latexin, which has the inhibitor activity of carboxypeptidase A. Most of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons containing either calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP) or somatostatin (SST) coexpressed latexin. Latexin was widely distributed in the cytoplasm of the cell body and in axonal fibers of cultured DRG neurons which were sensitive to capsaicin. In addition, latexin-immunoreactivity was observed throughout lamina II of the spinal cord in normal animals, but was lost following sciatic nerve-axotomy, suggesting the presence of latexin-immunoreactive axonal fibers and/or terminals from DRG neurons. Immunoelectron microscopy indeed revealed latexin-immunoreactive axonal terminals and thinly myelinated and unmyelinated axonal fibers within the dorsal horn. These observations suggest that latexin may be involved in nociceptive information transmission or its modulation.
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PMID:Latexin expression in smaller diameter primary sensory neurons in the rat. 972 42

Oligomers of beta-amino acids (beta-peptides), which are readily available by standard meth ods either in solution or on solid support, adopt a large variety of different secondary structures in solution and in the solid state. beta-Peptides 4, 5 and 10 fold into a helix with 3 residues per turn and 14-membered H-bonded rings (314 helix) that is left-handed for 5 and 10 and right-handed for 2 (due to the reversal of the chirality of the building blocks), as was clearly demonstrated by two-dimensional NMR-spectroscopy. This helix thermally is very stable in methanol solution upon heating. As shown by NMR- and CD-spectroscopy, it is partially populated even at 100 C (Figure 3). Another helix was dis covered for mixed beta-peptide 8 in methanol solution: it is characterized by 12- and 10- membered turns (Figure 4, left) and its central 10-membered turn has been found in the solid state of a geminally disubtituted beta-peptide (Figure 4, right). This central 10-membered turn was used as a scaffold to attach beta-amino acid residues that prefer a linear (non-helical) conformation (beta-peptide 21): a hairpin (pleated sheet-turn-pleated sheet) structure was determined in solution by NMR-spectroscopy (Figure 5). In contrast to this antiparallel pleated-sheet, a parallel pleated sheet was found for a beta-tripeptide in the solid state. For the first time it was possible to observe reversible peptide folding in MD simulations by studying beta-peptides (Figure 6) and to determine folding pathways and intermediates. beta-Peptides are a new class of promising peptidomimetics. They are resistant against the degradation by proteolytic enzymes such as pepsin, elastase, carboxypeptidase A, pro nase or proteasom 20S. A variety of beta-amino acids (27-34) was shown to be non- mutagenic by Ames tests and beta-peptides 47 and 48 reveal large elimination half-lives of 3 h (for 47) and 10 h (for 48) in the serum of rodents (Figure 7). Conjugates of alpha- and beta- peptides are efficient ligands for the HLA*B27 MHC Class I protein, a five fold increase of binding (2.0 microM for 55) compared to a natural peptidic ligand 51 was observed. Furthermore, beta-peptides are able to mimic natural a-peptidic hormones such as somatostatin. The cyclo-beta-tetrapeptide 57 binds to the five human somatostatin receptors in the micromolar range. In addition, several other non-natural oligomers such as beta-peptide nucleic acids (built from 58 and 59), beta-peptoids (60), oligomers of anthranilic acids and beta-sulfonamido peptides are discussed.
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PMID:Beta-peptides: twisting and turning. 1051 5

Embryonic stem (ES) cells can differentiate into many cell types and are expected to be useful for tissue engineering. Recent reports have shown that ES cells can differentiate into insulin-producing cells in response to the transient expression of the pdx-1 gene, after the removal of feeder cells. To investigate the lineage of insulin-producing cells and their in vitro differentiation, we introduced the betageo gene, encoding a beta-galactosidase-neomycin phosphotransferase fusion protein under the control of the mouse insulin 2 promoter, into ES cells that had been adapted to feeder-free culture, and analyzed insulin gene expression during their in vitro differentiation. We also examined the expression of transcription factors that are related to the differentiation of the pancreas. X-gal staining analysis revealed beta-galactosidase-positive cells on the surface and in the center of the embryoid body that proliferated during differentiation. Glucose-responsive insulin-producing cells, derived from our feeder-free ES cells, expressed insulin 2, pdx-1, Pax4, and Isl1 and also the glucagon, somatostatin, and PP genes. Moreover, the genes encoding p48, amylase, and carboxypeptidase A were also expressed. These results suggest that ES cells can differentiate not only into endocrine cells but also into exocrine cells of the pancreas, without the initiation of pdx-1 expression.
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PMID:Analysis of insulin-producing cells during in vitro differentiation from feeder-free embryonic stem cells. 1271 47

The desert gerbil Psammomys obesus, an established model of type 2 diabetes (T2D), has previously been shown to lack pancreatic and duodenal homeobox gene 1 (Pdx-1) expression. Pdx-1 deficiency leads to pancreas agenesis in both mice and humans. We have therefore further examined the pancreas of P. obesus during embryonic development. Using Pdx-1 antisera raised against evolutionary conserved epitopes, we failed to detect Pdx-1 immunoreactivity at any time points. However, at E14.5, Nkx6.1 immunoreactivity marks the nuclei of all epithelial cells of the ventral and dorsal pancreatic buds and the only endocrine cell types found at this time point are glucagon and PYY. At E18.5 the pancreas is well branched and both glucagon- and ghrelin-positive cells are scattered or found in clusters, whereas insulin-positive cells are not found. At E22.5, the acini of the exocrine pancreas are starting to mature, and amylase and carboxypeptidase A immunoreactivity is found scattered and not in all acini. Ghrelin-, glucagon-, PYY-, gastrin-, somatostatin (SS)-, pancreatic polypeptide (PP)-, and insulin-immunoreactive cells are found scattered or in small groups within or lining the developing ductal epithelium as marked by cytokeratin 19. Using degenerate PCR, the P. obesus Neurogenin-3 (Ngn-3) gene was cloned. Nucleotide and amino acid sequences show high homology with known Ngn-3 sequences. Using specific antiserum, we can observe that Ngn-3-immunoreactive cells are rare at E14.5 but readily detectable at E18.5 and E22.5. In conclusion, despite the lack of detection of Pdx-1, the P. obesus pancreas develops similarly to Muridae species, and the Ngn-3 sequence and expression pattern is highly conserved in P. obesus.
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PMID:Developmental biology of the Psammomys obesus pancreas: cloning and expression of the Neurogenin-3 gene. 1698 47