Effects of Electroconvulsive Stimuli and MK-801 on Neuropeptide Y,Neurokinin A,and Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide in Rat Brain

Rats were pretreated with 0.9% NaCl, or 0.1 or 1.0 mg/kg MK-801, an anticonvulsant and a psychotomimetic drug, and 60 minutes later given ECS or sham ECS. After six sessions the animals were sacrificed and neuropeptide Y (NPY-), neurokinin A (NKA-), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP-) like immunoreactivity (-LI) measured with radioimmunoassays. ECS increased NPY-LI in frontal cortex, striatum, occipital cortex and hippocampus, and NKA-LI in occipital cortex and hippocampus. MK-801 increased CGRP in a dose-response manner in frontal cortex, and NKA-LI in occipital cortex. Although the higher MK-801 dose reduced seizure duration by 50%, the ECS induced NPY-LI increase in striatum, occipital cortex and hippocampus, and NKA-LI in occipital cortex was not diminished. In contrast, there was a parallel decrease in seizures and NPY-LI and NKA-LI changes in frontal cortex and hippocampus, respectively. Investigation of neuropeptides in brain may contribute to understanding of the mechanisms of action of antide-pressive and antipsychotic treatments and of psychotomimetic drugs.     

Effects of prenatal morphine on hypothalamic metabolism of neurotransmitters and gonadal and adrenal activities,during the early postnatal period in the rat

It is noteworthy that exposure to opiates during fetal development results in permanent changes in adults related to morphological, behavioral and biochemical measures; however little is known concerning the effects of such drugs in early postnatal life. We investigated in newborn rats the effects of prenatal morphine-exposure on both—the hypothalamic metabolism of norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5 HT) and neuropeptide Y (NPY)—the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal and adrenal axes. In a previous study performed in newborns of untreated mothers, we reported some sex-dependent changes in the metabolism of NE, 5 HT and NPY in the hypothalamus and an early activation of the gonadostimulating function and of the corticostimulating one. In control newborns from saline-treated mothers, a slight increase in the hypothalamic metabolism of NE (males) and 5 HT (males and females) was observed and it was comparable in both sexes. On the other hand, the hypothalamic content of NPY was unaffected in early postnatal period in newborn males as well as in females. These changes observed on hypothalamic metabolisms are temporally correlated with the early postnatal activation of the corticostimulating function in neonates of both sexes and that of the gonadostimulating one, mainly in males. Prenatal morphine exposure altered the hypothalamic metabolism of 5 HT which was increased mainly in newborn females but did not affect either the metabolism of NE or the NPY content of the hypothalamus. The more drastic effect of the prenatal morphine treatment is the atrophy and hypoactivity of the adrenals in newborns of both sexes at birth time and during the early postnatal period. In contrast morphine did not impair postnatal surge of the plasma testosterone level in male pups as well as late and slight increase of plasma estradiol in female ones.     

Regulation of neuropeptide expression in the brain by neurotrophins

Neurotrophins, which are structurally related to nerve growth factor, have been shown to promote survival of various neurons. Recently, we found a novel activity of a neurotrophin in the brain: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) enhances expression of various neuropeptides. The neuropeptide differentiation activity was then compared among neurotrophins both in vivo and in vitro. In cultured neocortical neurons, BDNF and neurotrophin-5 (NT-5) remarkably increased levels of neuropeptide Y and somatostatin, and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) also increased these peptides but required higher concentrations. At elevating substance P, however, NT-3 was as potent as BDNF. In contrast, NGF had negligible or no effect. Neurotrophins administered into neonatal brain exhibited slightly different potencies for increasing these neuropeptides: The most marked increase in neuropeptide Y levels was obtained in the neocortex by NT-5, whereas in the striatum and hippocampus by BDNF, although all three neurotrophins increased somatostatin similarly in all the brain regions examined. Overall spatial patterns of the neuropeptide induction were similar among the neurotrophins. Neurons in adult rat brain can also react with the neurotrophins and alter neuropeptide expression in a slightly different fashion. Excitatory neuronal activity and hormones are known to change expression of neurotrophins. Therefore, neurotrophins, neuronal activity, and hormones influence each other and all regulate neurotransmitter/peptide expression in developing and mature brain. Physiological implication of the neurotransmitter/peptide differentiation activities is also discussed.     

A neuropeptidergic circuit gates selective escape behavior of Drosophila larvae

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Multiple tachykinins (neurokinin A, neuropeptide K and substance P) in capsaicin-sensitive sensory neurons in the guinea-pig

The occurrence of tachykinins in sensory neurons of the guinea-pig was studied by means of radioimmunoassay combined with ion-exchange and high-performance liquid chromatography as well as by immunohistochemistry. Antisera raised against kassinin (antiserum K12), neurokinin A (NKA) (antiserum NKA2) and substance P (SP) (antisera SP25 and SP2) were used. Antiserum K12 detected NKA, neuropeptide K (NPK) and a component eluting in the position of eledoisin (ELE) in extracts of the lung and ureter. Neurokinin B (NKB) was, however, not found. Neutral water extraction favored recovery of NKA and of the ELE-like component, while NPK was found only in acid extracts. The SP antisera detected two immunoreactive components of which the major form coeluted with synthetic SP. Capsaicin pretreatment depleted all these various forms of immunoreactivity in several peripheral organs including the ureter and lung. The immunoreactivity detected by antisera K12 or SP25 in radioimmunoassay had a similar regional distribution pattern in peripheral tissues. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that antiserum NKA2 stained the same spinal ganglion cells as the SP2 antiserum. The distribution of capsaicin-sensitive nerve fibers stained by these two antisera was also identical in peripheral organs such as the ureter, inferior mesenteric ganglion, heart and lung. It is concluded that multiple tachykinins, including SP, NKA, NPK and an ELE-like peptide, are present in capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves in the guinea-pig. This finding can most likely be related to the origin of SP, NKA and NPK from the same precursor molecule, subsequent posttranslational tissue processing and axonal transport to terminal regions.     

迷走神经切断和NK3受体拮抗剂干预在辣椒素诱导小鼠咳嗽中的作用

目的:观察右侧迷走神经切断及NK3受体拮抗剂对辣椒素诱导小鼠咳嗽的作用及其机制。方法:将48只小鼠随机分为4组,分别为:右侧迷走神经切断术组、右侧假手术组、SR 142801腹腔注射组和生理盐水对照组。辣椒素雾化制作小鼠咳嗽模型后,分别进行迷走神经切断术、假手术、SR142801腹腔注射及生理盐水腹腔注射,SR142801组及生理盐水对照组腹腔注射每日1次,连续7天。第8天计数各组所有小鼠咳嗽次数,检测所有小鼠肺组织中SP(substance P,P物质)、NKA(neurokinin A,神经肽A)、NKB(neurokinin B,神经肽B)表达水平。结果:右侧迷走神经切断组术后咳嗽次数[(6.92±1.78)次]较术前[(7.83±2.48)次]显著降低(P0.01),较假手术组[(7.58±2.43)次]降低(P0.05)。右侧迷走神经切断组术后SP、NKA、NKB水平较对照组显著降低(P0.05),SR 142810组干预后咳嗽次数[(8.67±1.37)次]较干预前[(8.33±2.15)次]无明显降低(P0.05)。SR 142801组腹腔注射后NKB[(8.32±0.86)pg/m L]较生理盐水对照组[(8.83±0.80)pg/m L]无明显降低(P0.05)。结论:迷走神经切断可以抑制辣椒素诱导的咳嗽,其机制主要与减少迷走神经相关神经肽SP、NKA、NKB的表达有关,而NK3受体拮抗剂SR142801对辣椒素诱导的咳嗽无明显抑制作用。     

橘小实蝇神经肽sulfakinin的分子生物学特性及其表达模式

【目的】分析橘小实蝇sulfakinin的时空表达模式及其对饥饿的响应,初步明确sulfakinin在调节橘小实蝇行为和生理方面的功能。【方法】利用RT-PCR技术克隆橘小实蝇神经肽sulfakinin的c DNA序列,采用实时定量PCR技术分析该基因在橘小实蝇不同发育阶段、成虫不同组织、幼虫不同组织及其在饥饿胁迫下的表达模式,并运用半定量RT-PCR技术进一步验证。【结果】实时定量PCR分析结果表明,sulfakinin在橘小实蝇的幼虫期和成虫期显著性高表达,卵期和蛹期几乎不表达。其中早期成虫表达量最高,约为晚期成虫的2倍,幼虫期表达量位于两者之间。在橘小实蝇幼虫、成虫不同组织中,sulfakinin在中枢神经系统的表达量显著高于其他组织,在触角的表达量仅次于中枢神经系统。此外,橘小实蝇在经饥饿处理24 h的过程中,sulfakinin的表达量均出现下调,其中从饥饿处理结果可知在6 h下降幅度最大,12 h和24 h表达量下降幅度减少。半定量RT-PCR技术进一步检测结果与实时定量PCR技术检测结果一致。【结论】sulfakinin在橘小实蝇中枢神经系统可能调节橘小实蝇成虫对饥饿胁迫的响应。其在触角中的高表达可能与橘小实蝇嗅觉的敏感性相关。本研究为进一步研究橘小实蝇sulfakinin的生理功能、评估其药靶潜力奠定了理论基础。     

Neuropeptide F: a ubiquitous invertebrate neuromediator?

Using specific antisera, neuropeptide F (NPF)-related peptides have been identified immunocytochemically as widespread and abundant in the nervous systems of all invertebrate taxa examined so far. To date, four NPFs have been isolated and sequenced: from the cestode, Moniezia expansa and the turbellarian, Artioposthia triangulata, and from the molluscs, Helix aspersa and Aplysia californica; a related nonapeptide has been sequenced also from Loligo vulgaris. These peptides all display structural characteristics of the vertebrate NPY superfamily of peptides and appear, therefore, to represent invertebrate members of this superfamily. In this respect, invertebrate NPFs most likely represent the precursors of the vertebrate NPY superfamily. Homologies between the gene structure of human NPY and molluscan NPF (A. californica) support the view that the NPY/NPF gene is of ancient lineage. Although NPF (A. californica) has been found to inhibit the activity of the abdominal ganglia in Aplysia, its widespread expression in this mollusc would suggest multiple functions; the physiological role(s) of NPFs in other invertebrates awaits examination. The abundance and apparent ubiquitous nature of NPF-related peptides establishes them as evolutionarily-ancient molecules that likely serve important physiological functions in invertebrate neurobiology.     

PBAN-induced sex pheromone biosynthesis in Heliothis peltigera: Structure,dose, and time dependent analysis

A structure-activity relationship study of Hez-PBAN was performed with respect to its pheromonotropic activity, using Heliothis peltigera as the test animal. The activity of N- and C-terminally derived sequences was examined in a time- and dose-dependent mode. Using a variety of Hez-PBAN-derived fragments at two doses (1 and 10 pmol) and at different times post-injection (5–120 min), we were able to demonstrate that peptides lacking 12 and 16 amino acids from their N-terminus are as potent as the full length PBAN, and that the C-terminally derived hexapeptide was capable of stimulating sex pheromone production to a similar extent as PBAN 1–33NH₂, when its activity was analyzed at shorter post-injection times. Within the C-terminal sequence, the amide was found to play a crucial role. In addition, it was observed that the region between amino acids 9 and 13 is important for the biological activity of the full length PBAN. The fact that the pheromonotropic activity of the hexapeptide was similar to that of the full length PBAN, under specific conditions, suggests that this sequence constitutes the biologically active site of the neuropeptide. The discovery that PBAN-derived peptides reacted in a time- and dose-dependent mode, strengthens the assumption that proteolytic enzymes interfere with the pheromonotropic activity of the PBAN-derived fragments. The ability of a variety of peptides to stimulate sex pheromone biosynthesis suggests two possible mechanisms: (1) Existence of multiple pheromonotropic mechanisms which may be mediated by multiple PBAN receptors that are activated at different kinetics; (2) Existence of only one mechanism mediated by short C-terminally derived peptides. In the first case, the C-terminally derived sequences fulfill the conformational requirement of only one class of receptors, and other regions in the PBAN molecule (e.g., 9–13) fulfill the conformational requirements of a second (or other) class of receptors. In the second case, the C-terminally derived sequence is the only conformationally important sequence, and other sequences, which were found to be essential for the biological activity, serve other non-conformational purposes (e.g., protection against proteolytic degradation). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.