Involvement of the serotonergic system in orexin-induced behavioral alterations in rats

We have demonstrated involvement of the serotonergic system in orexin-induced behavioral responses in rats. Orexin-A and -B (hypocretin-1 and -2) significantly increased total locomotor activity when administered centrally. They also induced behavioral alterations; increasing grooming, face washing and wet dog shaking in rats. Haloperidol inhibited orexin-induced hyperlocomotion and these behavioral alterations. Serotonin antagonists, ritanserin and metergoline, did not attenuate orexin-induced hyperlocomotion but partly inhibited orexin-induced behavioral alterations. These results suggest that the dopaminergic system might be involved in orexin-induced hyperlocomotion, while both the serotonergic system as well as the dopaminergic system might be involved in orexin-induced behavioral responses.     

Elevation of EGR1/zif268, a Neural Activity Marker,in the Auditory Cortex of Patients with Schizophrenia and its Animal Model

Neurochemical Research - The family of epidermal growth factor (EGF) including neuregulin-1 are implicated in the neuropathology of schizophrenia. We established a rat model of schizophrenia by...     

6β-Hydroxyursolic acid and other triterpenoids of Enkianthus cernuus

From the leaves of Enkianthus cernuus forma rubens, a new triterpene, 6β-hydroxyursolic acid, was isolated together with several known compounds     

Exact break point of a 50?kb deletion 8?kb centromeric of the HLA-A locus with HLA-A*24:02: the same deletion observed in other A*24 alleles and A*23:01 allele

In a structural aberration analysis of patients with arthritis mutilans, a 50?kb deletion near the HLA-A locus with HLA-A*24:02 allele was detected. It was previously reported that HLA-A*24:02 haplotype harbored a large-scale deletion telomeric of the HLA-A gene in healthy individuals. In order to confirm that the deletion are the same in patients with arthritis mutilans and in healthy individuals, and to identify the break point of this deletion, the boundary sequences across the deletion in A*24:02 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a 3.7?kb genomic fragment and subjected to nucleotide sequence determination. A comparison of these genomic sequences with those of the non-A*24:02 haplotype revealed that the deleted genomic region spanning 50?kb was flanked by 3.7?kb repetitive element-rich segments homologous to each other on both sides in non-A*24. The nucleotide sequences of the PCR products were identical in patients with arthritis mutilans and in healthy individuals, revealing that the deletion linked to A*24:02 is irrelevant to the onset of arthritis mutilans. The deletion was detected in all other A*24 alleles so far examined but not in other HLA-A alleles, except A*23:01. This finding, along with the phylogenic tree of HLA-A alleles and the presence of the 3.7?kb highly homologous segments at the boundary of the deleted genomic region in A*03 and A*32, may suggest that this HLA-A*24:02-linked deletion was generated by homologous recombination within two 3.7?kb homologous segments situated 50?kb apart in the ancestral A*24 haplotype after divergence from the A*03 and A*32 haplotypes.     

Precocious induction of pepsinogen in the stomach of suckling mice by hormones

Effects of hormones on pepsinogen activity in mouse stomach were investigated by enzyme assay and electron microscopy. Administration of hydrocortisone alone to mice on days 5–10 increased the enzyme activity in the stomach to as much as 4.5-fold that of untreated mice and the increase was dose dependent. Thyroxine also evoked precocious differentiation of the stomach. The effects of thyroxine and hydrocortisone were additive. Injections of insulin had little effect when given alone, or in combination with other hormones. Injection of hydrocortisone alone or plus thyroxine also caused morphological differentiation of the chief cells in the stomach mucosa. Administration of thyroxine to mice on days 15–20 induced as much enzyme activity as that induced by hydrocortisone, but neither of these hormones had any effect when injected after day 23.These results suggest that besides hydrocortisone, thyroxine is also involved in differentiation of the stomach in mice for the first 20 days after birth and that the normal increase of pepsinogen activity in the stomach of mice during the late suckling period is brought about by serum glucocorticoids, possibly with thyroxine.     

Biochemical evidence for existence of immunoreactive renin in human prolactinoma tissue

High activity of renin was demonstrated in human prolactinoma tissue. This activity was almost completely inhibited by specific antibody raised against human renal renin, indicating that it was not due to the nonspecific action of proteases. The specific activity of renin was 5.04 ng of angiotensin I generated/mg of protein per h, comparable to that of the pituitary tissue prepared from postmortem human subjects. The biochemical properties of the prolactinoma renin were generally similar to those of well-known kidney enzyme, such as molecular mass (Mr = 46,000), optimum pH (6.0), and glycoprotein nature. However, the isoelectric points (pI) of the prolactinoma renin (pI = 4.90, 5.04, 5.24 and 5.41) differed somewhat from those of plasma and kidney renins reported hitherto. These results indicate that true renin can be produced in human prolactinoma tissue.     

Genetic analysis of salt-marsh sedge Carex scabrifolia Steud. populations using newly developed microsatellite markers

Nine microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from the clonal salt-marsh sedge Carex scabrifolia, and genetic diversities within four populations were analyzed. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 7, with an average of 4.7. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 and 0.000 to 0.679, respectively. In two populations, almost all polymorphic loci showed a significant excess of heterozygotes due to their high clonal reproduction and low number of genotypes (genets) composing the populations. Thus, the number of identical genets varied greatly among populations and ranged from 1 to 28, irrespective of population size (i.e., population area and ramet number). When attempting to conserve and restore clonal plants such as C. scabrifolia, it is important to preserve sufficient genetic diversity within a population, which can be assessed using genetic markers such as the simple sequence repeat markers described here.