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

Our laboratory is interested in characterizing the neurotransmitter and hormonal phenotype of neurons in the rat hypothalamus expressing novel neuropeptide receptors of the neuropeptide Y and galanin families. In this review, we describe a technique combining nonradioactive in situ hybridization to detect mRNA and fluorescence immunohistochemistry to detect protein antigens. We examined paraffin sections of rat hypothalamus using confocal microscopy to determine whether mRNA for the galanin receptor, GALR2, was colocalized at the cellular level of resolution with somatostatin or tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity. We found that many neurons in the hypothalamus expressed both GALR2 mRNA and either somatostatin or tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity. The simultaneous detection of mRNA and protein immunoreactivity in individual neurons using the confocal microscope for visualization is an excellent tool for the analysis of newly characterized genes in the central nervous system.
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PMID:Characterization of hypothalamic neurons expressing a neuropeptide receptor, GALR2, using combined in situ hybridization-immunohistochemistry. 1049 Dec 78

Galanin (GAL) a 29 amino-acid peptide, is distributed in the central and peripheral nervous system, the pituitary gland, the gastrointestinal tract and also in the endocrine and exocrine pancreas. The endogenous and exogenous effects of galanin are mediated by three receptor subtypes, which are termed: GALR1, GALR2, GALR3. Galanin has a significant role in physiological and pathological processes (acromegally, diarhoea, collitis, Alzheimer's disease, oberitas depression, pituitary gland adenomas) in a human body and animals. It has an ability to contract smooth muscles in gastrointestinal tract, stimulates reflexes in the central nervous system, decreases pancreatic amylase release, changes transport of electrolytes Na+ and Cl-, exerts tonic inhibition of nociceptive input to the central nervous system, stimulates glucagon release, inhibits insulin and somatostatin release, takes part in prolactin secretion, stimulates growth hormone--releasing hormone, hypothalamic gonadotropin releasing hormone and corticotropin releasing hormone. It causes increase of somatotropin secretion, foliculotropin and luteinizing hormone release and adrenocorticotropin secretion.
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PMID:[The significance of galanin in physiologic and pathologic processes in humans]. 1122 78

Galanin, a 29-30 amino-acid neuropeptide is distributed in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the pituitary gland, the gastrointestinal tract and also in the pancreas. The endogenous and exogenous effects of galanin are mediated by three receptor subtypes, which are termed: GALR1, GALR2, and GALR3. Galanin has a significant role in physiological and pathological processes in adults as well as in children. It has an ability to contract smooth muscles in GI (facilitation and inhibition), stimulates reflexes in the CNS, decreases pancreatic amylase secretion, changes transport of electrolytes Na+ and CL-. It takes part in etiopathogenesis of depression, Alzheimer's disease and diarrhoea, exerts tonic inhibition of nociceptive input to the central nervous system and regulates a function of hypothalamic-pituitary system. Galanin decreases insulin and somatostatin secretion, increases glucagon secretion, takes part in prolactin release, stimulates growth hormone-releasing hormone, hypothalamic gonadotropin releasing hormone and corticotropin releasing hormone. It causes increase of somatotropin secretion, luteinizing hormone and foliculotropin release and adrenocorticotropin secretion. The hypothalamic galanin takes part in etiopathogenesis of obesity not only in human reproductive period, but also in adolescence, increasing the appetite and changing fat metabolism. This variety of actions emphasizes the potential importance of this peptide in the regulation of cells function and the need to understand the mechanism by which they act.
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PMID:[The role of galanin in the endocrine system]. 1281 74

Dementia conditions and memory deficits of different origins (vascular, metabolic and primary neurodegenerative such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases) are getting more common and greater clinical problems recently in the aging population. Since the presently available cognitive enhancers have very limited therapeutical applications, there is an emerging need to elucidate the complex pathophysiological mechanisms, identify key mediators and novel targets for future drug development. Neuropeptides are widely distributed in brain regions responsible for learning and memory processes with special emphasis on the hippocampus, amygdala and the basal forebrain. They form networks with each other, and also have complex interactions with the cholinergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic and GABA-ergic pathways. This review summarizes the extensive experimental data in the well-established rat and mouse models, as well as the few clinical results regarding the expression and the roles of the tachykinin system, somatostatin and the closely related cortistatin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate-cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), opioid peptides and galanin. Furthermore, the main receptorial targets, mechanisms and interactions are described in order to highlight the possible therapeutical potentials. Agents not only symptomatically improving the functional impairments, but also inhibiting the progression of the neurodegenerative processes would be breakthroughs in this area. The most promising mechanisms determined at the level of exploratory investigations in animal models of cognitive disfunctions are somatostatin sst4, NPY Y2, PACAP-VIP VPAC1, tachykinin NK3 and galanin GALR2 receptor agonisms, as well as delta opioid receptor antagonism. Potent and selective non-peptide ligands with good CNS penetration are needed for further characterization of these molecular pathways to complete the preclinical studies and decide if any of the above described targets could be appropriate for clinical investigations.
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PMID:Neuropeptides in learning and memory. 2421 Jan 37