食欲素信号系统在成瘾中的作用

成瘾是对成瘾物质的强迫性、持续性需求并缺乏控制能力的行为,它会导致大脑中枢奖赏回路的改变。下丘脑是调控自然奖赏的重要脑区,它能特异性地表达一种被称为食欲素(orexins/hypocretins)的神经肽。食欲素通过作用于食欲素受体调控睡眠、觉醒状态,同时,食欲素受体在药物成瘾和奖赏相关的行为中也有重要作用,投射到不同脑区的食欲素对不同药物导致的成瘾调节作用也不同,调控食欲素信号系统,将可能成为治疗成瘾的重要方法。本文重点总结了食欲素信号系统在不同药物成瘾过程中的作用的最新研究进展。     

Interaction between sleep mechanisms and orexin neurons

Orexin is a neuropeptide that plays a highly important role in mechanisms that regulate sleep/wake states. Lack of the orexin gene or orexin-producing neurons (orexin neurons) results in narcolepsy in several mammalian species, suggesting that orexin is an important factor for the maintenance of wakefulness. Constitutive, ectopic expression of orexin in transgenic mice resulted in severe fragmentation of non–rapid eye movement sleep, along with abnormal muscle tone regulation during REM sleep, suggesting that activity of orexin neurons should be appropriately decreased during sleep to maintain consolidated sleep states. This review will discuss the mechanisms by which the orexin system is regulated during sleep.

     

Dynamic interactions between orexin and dynorphin may delay onset of functional orexin effects: a modeling study

Orexin (also known as hypocretin) neurons play a key role in regulating sleep-wake behavior, but the links between orexin neuron electrophysiology and function have not been explored. Orexin neurons are wake-active, and spiking activity in orexin neurons may anticipate transitions to wakefulness by several seconds. However, it is suggested that while the orexin system is necessary to maintain sustained wake bouts, orexin has little effect on brief wake bouts. In vitro experiments investigating the actions of orexin and dynorphin, a colocalized neuropeptide, on orexin neurons indicate that the dynamics of desensitization to dynorphin may represent a mechanism for modulating local network activity and resolving the apparent discrepancy between the onset of firing in orexin neurons and the onset of functional orexin effects. To investigate the role of dynorphin on orexin neuron activity, a Hodgkin-Huxley-type model orexin neuron was developed in which baseline electrophysiology, orexin/dynorphin action, and dynorphin desensitization were closely tied to experimental data. In this model framework, model orexin neuron responses to orexin/dynorphin action were calibrated by simulating the physiologic effects of static orexin and dynorphin bath application on orexin neurons. Then behavior in a small network of model orexin neurons was simulated with pure orexin, pure dynorphin, or combined orexin and dynorphin coupling based on the mechanisms established in the static case. It was found that the dynamics of desensitization to dynorphin can mediate a clear shift from a network in which firing is suppressed by dynorphin-mediated inhibition to a network of neurons with high firing rates sustained by orexin-mediated excitation. The findings suggest that dynamic interactions between orexin and dynorphin at transitions from sleep to wake may delay onset of functional orexin effects.     

Sequence and developmental expression of amphioxus AmphiNk2–1: insights into the evolutionary origin of the vertebrate thyroid gland and forebrain

 We characterized an amphioxus NK-2 homeobox gene (AmphiNk2–1), a homologue of vertebrate Nkx2–1, which is involved in the development of the central nervous system and thyroid gland. At the early neurula stage of amphioxus, AmphiNk2–1 expression is first detected medially in the neural plate. By the mid-neurula stage, expression is localized ventrally in the nerve cord and also begins in the endoderm. During the late neurula stage, the ventral neural expression becomes transiently segmented posteriorly and is then down-regulated except in the cerebral vesicle at the anterior end of the central nervous system. Within the cerebral vesicle AmphiNk2–1 is expressed in a broad ventral domain, probably comprising both the floor plate and basal plate regions; this pattern is comparable to Nkx2–1 expression in the mouse diencephalon. In the anterior part of the gut, expression becomes intense in the endostyle (the right wall of the pharynx), which is the presumed homologue of the vertebrate thyroid gland. More posteriorly, there is transitory expression in the midgut and hindgut. In sum, the present results help to support homologies (1) between the amphioxus endostyle and the vertebrate thyroid gland and (2) between the amphioxus cerebral vesicle and the vertebrate diencephalic forebrain. Received: 4 September 1998 / Accepted: 24 October 1998     

The evolution of chordate neural segmentation

Amphioxus is the closest relative to vertebrates but lacks key vertebrate characters, like rhombomeres, neural crest cells, and the cartilaginous endoskeleton. This reflects major differences in the developmental patterning of neural and mesodermal structures between basal chordates and vertebrates. Here, we analyse the expression pattern of an amphioxus FoxB ortholog and an amphioxus single-minded ortholog to gain insight into the evolution of vertebrate neural segmentation. AmphiFoxB expression shows cryptic segmentation of the cerebral vesicle and hindbrain, suggesting that neuromeric segmentation of the chordate neural tube arose before the origin of the vertebrates. In the forebrain, AmphiFoxB expression combined with AmphiSim and other amphioxus gene expression patterns shows that the cerebral vesicle is divided into several distinct domains: we propose homology between these domains and the subdivided diencephalon and midbrain of vertebrates. In the Hox-expressing region of the amphioxus neural tube that is homologous to the vertebrate hindbrain, AmphiFoxB shows the presence of repeated blocks of cells along the anterior-posterior axis, each aligned with a somite. This and other data lead us to propose a model for the evolution of vertebrate rhombomeric segmentation, in which rhombomere evolution involved the transfer of mechanisms regulating neural segmentation from vertical induction by underlying segmented mesoderm to horizontal induction by graded retinoic acid signalling. A consequence of this would have been that segmentation of vertebrate head mesoderm would no longer have been required, paving the way for the evolution of the unsegmented head mesoderm seen in living vertebrates.     

下丘脑食欲素在药物成瘾中的作用

下丘脑是调控自然奖赏的重要脑区,它能特异性地表达一种神经肽——食欲素(orexin),这种神经肽在药物奖赏中的作用受到广泛关注。在成瘾研究中,发现不同脑区中的食欲素神经元对奖赏和动机行为的调节作用是不相同的:围穹窿区(PFA)和背内侧下丘脑区(DMH)的食欲素神经元主要参与激活应激系统,而外侧下丘脑(LH)的食欲素神经元主要通过激活与奖赏学习相关的大脑环路参与奖赏行为的调控。提示食欲素系统可在延长戒断防止复吸发生中成为新的研究目标,食欲素受体可以作为治疗药物成瘾的一种新的治疗靶标。     

An amphioxus homeobox gene: sequence conservation, spatial expression during development and insights into vertebrate evolution.

The embryology of amphioxus has much in common with vertebrate embryology, reflecting a close phylogenetic relationship between the two groups. Amphioxus embryology is simpler in several key respects, however, including a lack of pronounced craniofacial morphogenesis. To gain an insight into the molecular changes that accompanied the evolution of vertebrate embryology, and into the relationship between the amphioxus and vertebrate body plans, we have undertaken the first molecular level investigation of amphioxus embryonic development. We report the cloning, complete DNA sequence determination, sequence analysis and expression analysis of an amphioxus homeobox gene, AmphiHox3, evolutionarily homologous to the third-most 3' paralogous group of mammalian Hox genes. Sequence comparison to a mammalian homologue, mouse Hox-2.7 (HoxB3), reveals several stretches of amino acid conservation within the deduced protein sequences. Whole mount in situ hybridization reveals localized expression of AmphiHox3 in the posterior mesoderm (but not in the somites), and region-specific expression in the dorsal nerve cord, of amphioxus neurulae, later embryos and larvae. The anterior limit to expression in the nerve cord is at the level of the four/five somite boundary at the neurula stage, and stabilises to just anterior to the first nerve cord pigment spot to form. Comparison to the anterior expression boundary of mouse Hox-2.7 (HoxB3) and related genes suggests that the vertebrate brain is homologous to an extensive region of the amphioxus nerve cord that contains the cerebral vesicle (a region at the extreme rostral tip) and extends posterior to somite four.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Lesions of orexin neurons block conditioned place preference for sexual behavior in male rats

The hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin (hypocretin) mediates reward related to drugs of abuse and food intake. However, a role for orexin in sexual reward has yet to be investigated. Orexin neurons are activated by sexual behavior, but endogenous orexin does not appear to be essential for sexual performance and motivation in male rats. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to test the hypothesis that orexin is critically involved in processing of sexual reward in male rats. First, it was demonstrated following exposure to conditioned contextual cues associated with sexual behavior in a conditioned place preference paradigm that cFos expression is induced in orexin neurons, indicating activation of orexin neurons by cues predicting sexual reward. Next, orexin-cell specific lesions were utilized to determine the functional role of orexin in sexual reward processing. Hypothalami of adult male rats were infused with orexin-B-conjugated saporin, resulting in greater than 80% loss of orexin neurons in the perifornical-dorsomedial and lateral hypothalamus. Orexin lesions did not affect expression of sexual behavior, but prevented formation of conditioned place preference for a sexual behavior paired chamber. In contrast, intact sham-treated males or males with partial lesions developed a conditioned place preference for mating. Orexin lesioned males maintained the ability to form a conditioned place aversion to lithium chloride-induced visceral illness, indicating that orexin lesions did not disrupt associative contextual memory. Overall, these findings suggest that orexin is not essential for sexual performance or motivation, but is critical for reward processing and conditioned cue-induced seeking of sexual behavior.     

ICV injection of orexin A induces synthesis of total RNA and mRNA encoding preorexin in various cerebral regions of the rat

This experiment evaluated the induction of RNA synthesis in neurons of various cerebral areas during hyperthermia induced by an intracerebroventricular injection of orexin A. The firing rates of the sympathetic nerves to interscapular brown adipose tissue, along with interscapular brown adipose tissue and colon temperatures, and heart rate were monitored in urethane-anesthetized male Sprague–Dawley rats before and after an injection of orexin A (1.5 nmol) into the lateral cerebral ventricle. Furthermore, the incorporation of ³H-uridine in total RNA and the expression of mRNA encoding the precursor of orexin A were measured in the cerebral areas at the 4th hour after the injection. The same variables were monitored in control rats with an injection of saline. The results show that orexin A increases the sympathetic firing rate, interscapular brown adipose tissue and colonic temperatures, heart rate, along with: (1) the incorporation of ³H-uridine in total RNA of the hypothalamus, hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum, (2) the expression of mRNA encoding the precursor of orexin A in the hypothalamus, cortex and cerebellum. These findings indicate that orexin A induces polyhedral gene expressions in several cerebral regions. Furthermore, we insist to suggest the name “hyperthermine A” as an additional denomination of “orexin A” by considering the strong influence of this neuropeptide on body temperature.     

High level of orexin A observed in the phenylketonuria mouse brain is due to the abnormal expression of prepro-orexin

Orexins/hypocretins are recently discovered neuropeptides, synthesized mainly in the lateral hypothalamus of the brain. Orexins regulate various functions including sleep and apetite. We recently reported increased amount of orexin A in the phenylketonuria (PKU) mouse brain. Whether this is caused by overexpression of the precursor for orexins, prepro-orexin was studied in the PKU mouse brain. Microarray expression analysis revealed overexpression of orexin gene in the brain of PKU mouse. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed increased level of prepro-orexin mRNA in the PKU mouse brain. In addition, expression of genes associated with cell signal and growth regulation was also affected in the PKU mouse brain, as observed by microarray analysis. These data suggest that up-regulation of orexin mRNA expression is the possible factor for inducing high orexin A in the brain of PKU mouse. The metabolic environment in the brain of PKU mouse affects normal expression of other genes possibly to result in pathophysiology seen in the PKU mouse, if documented also in patients with PKU.     

Regulation of food intake in the goldfish by interaction between ghrelin and orexin

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of ghrelin, orexin and neuropeptide Y (NPY) stimulates food intake in goldfish. Orexin and NPY interact with each other in the regulation of feeding, while ghrelin-induced feeding has also shown to be mediated by NPY in the goldfish model. To investigate the interaction between ghrelin and orexin, we examined the effects of a selective orexin receptor-1 antagonist, SB334867, and a growth hormone secretagogue-receptor antagonist, [D-Lys(3)]-GHRP-6, on ghrelin- and orexin-A-induced feeding. Ghrelin-induced food intake was completely inhibited for 1h following ICV preinjection of SB334867, while [D-Lys(3)]-GHRP-6 attenuated orexin-A stimulated feeding. Furthermore, ICV administration of ghrelin or orexin-A at a dose sufficient to stimulate food intake increased the expression of each other's mRNA in the diencephalon. These results indicate that, in goldfish, ghrelin and orexin-A have interacting orexigenic effects in the central nervous system. This is the first report that orexin-A-induced feeding is mediated by the ghrelin signaling in any animal model.     

Peptides that regulate food intake: orexin gene expression is increased during states of hypertriglyceridemia

Previous reports implicate the orexins in eating and body weight regulation. This study investigated possible functional relationships between hypothalamic orexins and circulating hormones or metabolites. In situ hybridization and quantitative PCR were used to examine orexin expression in the perifornical hypothalamus (PF) of rats and mice on diets varying in fat content and with differential propensity toward obesity. The results showed that orexin gene expression was stimulated by a high-fat diet in close association with elevated triglyceride levels, suggesting a functional relationship between these measures. Results obtained in obesity-prone rats and mice revealed a similar increase in orexin in close relation to triglycerides. A direct test of this orexin-triglyceride link was performed with Intralipid, which increased PF orexin expression along with circulating triglycerides. Whereas PF galanin is similarly stimulated by dietary fat, double-labeling immunofluorescence studies showed that orexin and galanin neurons are anatomically distinct. This evidence suggests that the orexins, like galanin, are "fat-responsive" peptides that respond to circulating lipids.     

Input of orexin/hypocretin neurons revealed by a genetically encoded tracer in mice

The finding of orexin/hypocretin deficiency in narcolepsy patients suggests that this hypothalamic neuropeptide plays a crucial role in regulating sleep/wakefulness states. However, very little is known about the synaptic input of orexin/hypocretin-producing neurons (orexin neurons). We applied a transgenic method to map upstream neuronal populations that have synaptic connections to orexin neurons and revealed that orexin neurons receive input from several brain areas. These include the amygdala, basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, GABAergic neurons in the preoptic area, and serotonergic neurons in the median/paramedian raphe nuclei. Monoamine-containing groups that are innervated by orexin neurons do not receive reciprocal connections, while cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain have reciprocal connections, which might be important for consolidating wakefulness. Electrophysiological study showed that carbachol excites almost one-third of orexin neurons and inhibits a small population of orexin neurons. These neuroanatomical findings provide important insights into the neural pathways that regulate sleep/wakefulness states.     

Evidence of NPY Y5 receptor involvement in food intake elicited by orexin A in sated rats

Intracerebroventricular (icv) injections of orexin A stimulate feeding in sated rats. Since neuropeptide Y is a potent orexigenic peptide and orexin-containing neurons are morphologically linked with NPY-producing neurons in the hypothalamus, we evaluated the functional relationship between the two orexigenic peptides. The results show that whereas it was ineffective on its own, a selective NPY Y5 receptor antagonist, injected icv 15 min. before orexin A significantly suppressed orexin A-induced feeding. Since previous investigations demonstrated that an NPY Y1 receptor antagonist also inhibits feeding induced by orexin A, the current results further underscore the existence of a functional link between orexin and NPY producing neurons as the orexin network appears to be capable of influencing NPYergic signaling through Y1 and Y5 receptors to stimulate feeding.     

Dynein light chain Tctex-type 1 modulates orexin signaling through its interaction with orexin 1 receptor

Orexins (OX-A, OX-B) are neuropeptides involved in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle, feeding and reward, via activation of orexin receptors 1 and 2 (OX1R, OX2R). The loss of orexin peptides or functional OX2R has been shown to cause the sleep disorder, narcolepsy. Since the regulation of orexin receptors remains largely undefined, we searched for novel protein partners of the intracellular tail of orexin receptors. Using a yeast two-hybrid screening strategy in combination with co-immunoprecipitation experiments, we found interactions between OX1R and the dynein light chains Tctex-type 1 and 3 (Dynlt1, Dynlt3). These interactions were mapped to the C-terminal region of the dynein light chains and to specific residues within the last 10 amino acids of OX1R. Hence, we hypothesized that dynein light chains could regulate orexin signaling. In HEK293 cells expressing OX1R, stimulation with OX-A produced a less sustained extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation when Dynlt1 was co-expressed, while it was prolonged under reduced Dynlt1 expression. The amount of OX1R located at the plasma membrane as well as the kinetics and extent of OX-A-induced internalization of OX1R (disappearance from membrane) were not altered by Dynlt1. However, Dynlt1 reduced the localization of OX1R in early endosomes following initial internalization. Taken together, these data suggest that Dynlt1 modulates orexin signaling by regulating OX1R, namely its intracellular localization following ligand-induced internalization.     

Narcolepsy in orexin knockout mice: molecular genetics of sleep regulation.

Neurons containing the neuropeptide orexin (hypocretin) are located exclusively in the lateral hypothalamus and send axons to numerous regions throughout the central nervous system, including the major nuclei implicated in sleep regulation. Here, we report that, by behavioral and electroencephalographic criteria, orexin knockout mice exhibit a phenotype strikingly similar to human narcolepsy patients, as well as canarc-1 mutant dogs, the only known monogenic model of narcolepsy. Moreover, modafinil, an anti-narcoleptic drug with ill-defined mechanisms of action, activates orexin-containing neurons. We propose that orexin regulates sleep/wakefulness states, and that orexin knockout mice are a model of human narcolepsy, a disorder characterized primarily by rapid eye movement (REM) sleep dysregulation.