The glucagon superfamily: precursor structure and gene organization

Antimicrobial Neuropeptides and Their Receptors: Immunoregulator and Therapeutic Targets for Immune Disorders

The interaction between the neuroendocrine system and the immune system plays a key role in the onset and progression of various diseases. Neuropeptides, recognized as common biochemical mediators of communication between these systems, are receiving increasing attention because of their potential therapeutic applications in immune-related disorders. Additionally, many neuropeptides share significant similarities with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and evidence shows that these antimicrobial neuropeptides are directly involved in innate immunity. This review examines 10 antimicrobial neuropeptides, including pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), ghrelin, adrenomedullin (AM), neuropeptide Y (NPY), urocortin II (UCN II), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), and catestatin (CST). Their expression characteristics and the immunomodulatory mechanisms mediated by their specific receptors are summarized, along with potential drugs targeting these receptors. Future studies should focus on further investigating antimicrobial neuropeptides and advancing the development of related drugs in preclinical and/or clinical studies to improve the treatment of immune-related diseases.

Specific reprogramming of alpha cells to insulin-producing cells by short glucagon promoter-driven Pdx1 and MafA

Endogenous reprogramming of pancreas-derived non-beta cells into insulin-producing cells is a promising approach to treat type 1 diabetes (T1D). One strategy that has yet to be explored is the specific delivery of insulin-producing essential genes, Pdx1 and MafA, to pancreatic alpha cells to reprogram the cells into insulin-producing cells in an adult pancreas. In this study, we used an alpha cell-specific glucagon (GCG) promoter to drive Pdx1 and MafA transcription factors to reprogram alpha cells to insulin-producing cells in chemically induced and autoimmune diabetic mice. Our results showed that a combination of a short glucagon-specific promoter with AAV serotype 8 (AAV8) can be used to successfully deliver Pdx1 and MafA to pancreatic alpha cells in the mouse pancreas. Pdx1 and MafA expression specifically in alpha cells were also able to correct hyperglycemia in both induced and autoimmune diabetic mice. With this technology, targeted gene specificity and reprogramming were accomplished with an alpha-specific promotor combined with an AAV-specific serotype and provide an initial basis to develop a novel therapy for the treatment of T1D.

Evolution of the glucagon-like system across fish

In fishes, including the jawless lampreys, the most ancient lineage of extant vertebrates, plasma glucose levels are highly variable and regulation is more relaxed than in mammals. The regulation of glucose and lipid in fishes in common with mammals involves members of the glucagon (GCG)-like family of gastrointestinal peptides. In mammals, four peptides GCG, glucagon-like peptide 1 and 2 (GLP1 and GLP2) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) that activate four specific receptors exist. However, in lamprey and other fishes the glucagon-like family evolved differently and they retained additional gene family members (glucagon-related peptide, gcrp and its receptor, gcrpr) that are absent from mammals. In the present study, we analysed the evolution of the glucagon-like system in fish and characterized gene expression of the family members in the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) a teleost fish. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that multiple receptors and peptides of the glucagon-like family emerged early during the vertebrate radiation and evolved via lineage specific events. Synteny analysis suggested that family member gene loss is likely to be the result of a single gene deletion event. Lamprey was the only fish where a putative glp1r persisted and the presence of the receptor gene in the genomes of the elephant shark and coelacanth remains unresolved. In the coelacanth and elephant shark, unique proglucagon genes were acquired which in the former only encoded Gcg and Glp2 and in the latter, shared a similar structure to the teleost proglucagon gene but possessed an extra exon coding for Glp-like peptide that was most similar to Glp2. The variable tissue distribution of the gene transcripts encoding the ligands and receptors of the glucagon-like system in an advanced teleost, the European sea bass, suggested that, as occurs in mammals, they have acquired distinct functions. Statistically significant (p < .05) down-regulation of teleost proglucagon a in sea bass with modified plasma glucose levels confirmed the link between these peptides and metabolism. The tissue distribution of members of the glucagon-like system in sea bass and human suggests that evolution of the brain-gut-peptide regulatory loop diverged between teleosts and mammals despite the overall conservation and similarity of glucagon-like family members.

A Plethora of GLP-1 Agonists: Decisions About What to Use and When

Incretin-based therapies are important addition to our armamentarium for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). There are six Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) which have received regulatory approval for clinical use. The short-acting GLP-1RAs include exenatide twice daily, liraglutide once daily, and lixisenatide once daily. The approved long-acting GLP-1RAs are administered weekly and are exenatide, albiglutide, and dulaglutide. Although all of these therapies lower hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), there also are unique features of GLP-1RAs that have been made manifest from clinical trial data with regard to weight-loss efficacy, fasting and post-prandial glucose control, cardiovascular safety and protection, and gastrointestinal and injection adverse effects. It is imperative to consider these features when tailoring the choice of a GLP-1RA to patient specific characteristics.

PACAP, VIP and their receptors in the metazoa: insights about the origin and evolution of the ligand-receptor pair

The evolution, function and interaction of ligand-receptor pairs are of major pharmaceutical interest. Comparative sequence analysis approaches using data from phylogenetically distant organisms can provide insights into their origin and possible physiological roles. The present review focuses on the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and their receptors in the metazoa. A PACAP-like peptide is present in tunicates and chordates while VIP- and PACAP/VIP-specific receptors have only been isolated in the latter phyla. The apparently disparate evolution of the ligands and their specific receptors raises questions about their evolution during the metazoan radiation and also about how the ligands may have acquired new functions.

PACAP-related peptide (PRP)--molecular evolution and potential functions

PACAP-related peptide (PRP) and PACAP are structurally related peptides that are encoded in the same transcripts. In the past, it was believed that the mammalian PRPs are evolved from GHRHs in non-mammals. With the recent discovery of authentic GHRH and receptor genes in frog and fish, this review aims to (1) coin the name of all GHRH-like peptides in previous literature as PRPs and (2) provide the background for new research direction for PRP in vertebrates. As a goldfish receptor highly specific for PRP with distinct tissue distribution has previously been characterized, it is highly possible that PRP plays a physiological role in non-mammalian vertebrates and the function of PRP has somehow been lost in mammals as a consequence of the loss of its receptor in the genome. This information may provide clues to elucidate functions of PRP in the future.

Is Glucagon-like peptide-1, an agent treating diabetes, a new hope for Alzheimer's disease?

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been endorsed as a promising and attractive agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and T2DM share some common pathophysiologic hallmarks, such as amyloid beta (Abeta), phosphoralation of tau protein, and glycogen synthase kinase-3. GLP-1 possesses neurotropic properties and can reduce amyloid protein levels in the brain. Based on extensive studies during the past decades, the understanding on AD leads us to believe that the primary targets in AD are the Abeta and tau protein. Combine these findings, GLP-1 is probably a promising agent in the therapy of AD. This review was focused on the biochemistry and physiology of GLP-1, communities between T2DM and AD, new progresses of GLP-1 in treating T2MD and improving some pathologic hallmarks of AD.

Mechanisms of action of glucagon-like peptide 1 in the pancreas

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that is encoded in the proglucagon gene. It is mainly produced in enteroendocrine L cells of the gut and is secreted into the blood stream when food containing fat, protein hydrolysate, and/or glucose enters the duodenum. Its particular effects on insulin and glucagon secretion have generated a flurry of research activity over the past 20 years culminating in a naturally occurring GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, exendin 4 (Ex-4), now being used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). GLP-1 engages a specific guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G-protein) coupled receptor (GPCR) that is present in tissues other than the pancreas (brain, kidney, lung, heart, and major blood vessels). The most widely studied cell activated by GLP-1 is the insulin-secreting beta cell where its defining action is augmentation of glucose-induced insulin secretion. Upon GLP-1R activation, adenylyl cyclase (AC) is activated and cAMP is generated, leading, in turn, to cAMP-dependent activation of second messenger pathways, such as the protein kinase A (PKA) and Epac pathways. As well as short-term effects of enhancing glucose-induced insulin secretion, continuous GLP-1R activation also increases insulin synthesis, beta cell proliferation, and neogenesis. Although these latter effects cannot be currently monitored in humans, there are substantial improvements in glucose tolerance and increases in both first phase and plateau phase insulin secretory responses in T2DM patients treated with Ex-4. This review will focus on the effects resulting from GLP-1R activation in the pancreas.

Structure and function studies of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1): the designing of a novel pharmacological agent for the treatment of diabetes

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a proglucagon-derived peptide secreted from gut endocrine cells in response to nutrient ingestion. The multifaceted actions of GLP-1 include the following: (1) the stimulation of insulin secretion and of its gene expression, (2) the inhibition of glucagon secretion, (3) the inhibition of food intake, (4) the proliferation and differentiation of beta cells, and (5) the protection of beta-cells from apoptosis. The therapeutic utility of the native GLP-1 molecule is limited by its rapid enzymatic degradation by a serine protease termed dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV). The present article reviews the research studies aimed at elucidating the biosynthesis, metabolism, and molecular characteristics of GLP-1 since it is from these studies that the development of a GLP-1-like pharmacological agent may be derived.

Glucagon-like peptide 1(GLP-1) in biology and pathology

Post-translational proteolytic processing of the preproglucagon gene in the gut results in the formation of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Owing to its glucose-dependent insulinotropic effect, this hormone was postulated to primarily act as an incretin, i.e. to augment insulin secretion after oral glucose or meal ingestion. In addition, GLP-1 decelerates gastric emptying and suppresses glucagon secretion. Under physiological conditions, GLP-1 acts as a part of the 'ileal brake', meaning that is slows the transition of nutrients into the distal gut. Animal studies suggest a role for GLP-1 in the development and growth of the endocrine pancreas. In light of its multiple actions throughout the body, different therapeutic applications of GLP-1 are possible. Promising results have been obtained with GLP-1 in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but its potential to reduce appetite and food intake may also allow its use for the treatment of obesity. While rapid in vivo degradation of GLP-1 has yet prevented its broad clinical use, different pharmacological approaches aiming to extend the in vivo half-life of GLP-1 or to inhibit its inactivation are currently being evaluated. Therefore, antidiabetic treatment based on GLP-1 may become available within the next years. This review will summarize the biological effects of GLP-1, characterize its role in human biology and pathology, and discuss potential clinical applications as well as current clinical studies.

Oxyntomodulin inhibits food intake in the rat

Oxyntomodulin is derived from proglucagon processing in the intestine and the central nervous system. To date, no role in the central nervous system has been demonstrated. We report here that oxyntomodulin inhibits refeeding when injected intracerebroventricularly and into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of 24-h fasted rats [intracerebroventricularly and into the paraventricular nucleus, 1 h, oxyntomodulin (1 nmol), 3.1 +/- 0.5 g; saline, 6.2 +/- 0.4 g; P < 0.005]. In addition, oxyntomodulin inhibits food intake in nonfasted rats injected at the onset of the dark phase (intracerebroventricularly, 1 h: oxyntomodulin, 3 nmol, 1.1 +/- 0.19 g vs. saline, 2.3 +/- 0.2 g; P < 0.05). This effect of oxyntomodulin on feeding is of a similar time course and magnitude as that of an equimolar dose of glucagon-like peptide-1. Other proglucagon-derived products investigated [glucagon, glicentin (intracerebroventricularly, 3 nmol; into the paraventricular nucleus, 1 nmol), and spacer peptide-1 (intracerebroventricularly and into the paraventricular nucleus, 3 nmol)] had no effect on feeding at any time point examined. The anorectic effect of oxyntomodulin (intracerebroventricularly, 3 nmol; into the paraventricular nucleus, 1 nmol) was blocked when it was coadministered with the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonist, exendin-(9-39) (intracerebroventricularly, 100 nmol; into the paraventricular nucleus, 10 nmol). However, oxyntomodulin has a lower affinity for the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor compared with glucagon-like peptide-1 (IC(50): oxyntomodulin, 8.2 nM; glucagon-like peptide-1, 0.16 nM). One explanation for this is that there might be an oxyntomodulin receptor to which exendin-(9-39) can also bind and act as an antagonist.

Effect of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on in vitro bovine oocyte maturation

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and the structural-related peptide vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on nuclear maturation, cortical granule distribution and cumulus expansion of bovine oocytes. Bovine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured in M199 without FCS and gonadotropins and in the presence of either 100 ng/mL bovine GHRH or 100 ng/mL porcine VIP. The COCs were incubated at 39 degrees C in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2 in air, and the nuclear stage was assessed after 16 or 24 h of incubation using DAPI staining. Cortical granule distribution was assessed after 24 h of incubation using FITC-PNA staining. To assess the effects of GHRH and VIP on cumulus expansion, COCs were incubated for 24 h under the conditions described above. In addition, 0.05 IU/mL recombinant human FSH was added to GHRH and VIP groups. Cultures without GHRH/VIP/FSH or with only FSH served as negative and positive controls, respectively. At 16 h neither GHRH (42.9%) nor VIP (38.5%) influenced the percentage of MII stage oocytes compared with their respective controls (44.2 and 40.8%). At 24 h there also was no difference in the percentage of MII oocytes between GHRH (77.0%), VIP (75.3%) and their respective controls (76.0 and 72%). There was no significant cumulus expansion in the GHRH or VIP group, while FSH induced significant cumulus expansion compared with the control groups, which were not inhibited by GHRH or VIP. Distribution of cortical granules was negatively affected by GHRH and VIP. The percentage of oocytes showing more or less evenly dispersed cortical granules in the cortical cytoplasm aligning the oolemma (Type 3) was lower in the GHRH (2.7%) and VIP (7.8%) groups than in the control group (15.9%). In conclusion, GHRH and VIP have no effect on nuclear maturation or cumulus expansion of bovine COCs but retard cytoplasmic maturation, as reflected by delayed cortical granule migration.

GIP biology and fat metabolism

The gastrointestinal hormone, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), is synthesized and released from the duodenum and proximal jejunum postprandially. Its release depends upon several factors including meal content and pre-existing health status (ie. obesity, diabetes, age, etc.). It was initially discovered and named for its gastric acid inhibitory properties. However, its more physiologically relevant role appears to be as an insulinotropic agent with a stimulatory effect on insulin release and synthesis. Accordingly, it was later renamed glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide because its action on insulin release depends upon an increase in circulating levels of glucose. GIP is considered to be one of the principle incretin factors of the enteroinsular axis. The GIP receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor belonging to the family of secretin/VIP receptors. GIP receptor mRNA is widely distributed in peripheral organs, including the pancreas, gut, adipose tissue, heart, adrenal cortex, and brain, suggesting it may have other functions in addition to the ones mentioned above. An overactive enteroinsular axis has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and obesity. In addition to stimulating insulin release, GIP has been shown to amplify the effect of insulin on target tissues. In adipose tissue, GIP has been reported to (1) stimulate fatty acid synthesis, (2) enhance insulin-stimulated incorporation of fatty acids into triglycerides, (3) increase insulin receptor affinity, and (4) increase sensitivity of insulin-stimulated glucose transport. In addition, although controversial, lipolytic properties of GIP have been proposed. The mechanism of action of GIP-induced effects on adipocytes is unknown, and it is unclear whether these effects of GIP on adipocytes are direct or indirect. However, there is now evidence that GIP receptors are expressed on adipocytes and that these receptors respond to GIP stimulation. Given the location of its release and the timing of its release, GIP is an ideal anabolic agent and expanding our understanding of its physiology will be needed to determine its exact role in the etiology of diabetes mellitus and obesity.

The rat growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor gene: structure, regulation, and generation of receptor isoforms with different signaling properties

The interaction of GHRH with membrane-bound receptors on somatotroph cells of the anterior pituitary is an important step in the regulation of GH synthesis and secretion. The identification of a G protein-coupled receptor for GHRH has made it possible to investigate the pathway by which GHRH regulates pituitary somatotroph cell function. To initiate an analysis of the mechanisms regulating expression and function of the GHRH receptor, the structure of the gene and its promoter region were analyzed. The coding sequence of the rat GHRH receptor gene is contained within 14 exons spanning approximately 15 kb of genomic DNA. Four transcription start sites are located within 286 bp upstream of the initiation codon. The 5' flanking region of the GHRH receptor gene acts as a functional promoter in rat pituitary tumor GH3 cells, and basal promoter activity is enhanced in GH3 and COS7 cells by cotransfection of an expression construct encoding the pituitary-specific transcription factor Pit-1. The rat GHRH receptor gene is subject to at least 1 alternative RNA processing event that generates 2 receptor isoforms differing by 41 amino acids within the third intracellular loop (IL) of the protein. The short isoform of the GHRH receptor is predominant in pituitary cells. The MtT/S pituitary tumor cell line was found to express the GHRH receptor, and different populations of these cells produce predominantly the long or short isoforms of the receptor messenger RNA, suggesting that the alternative splicing can be regulated. Functional analysis of the two GHRH receptor isoforms demonstrates that both bind GHRH, but only the short isoform signals through a cAMP-mediated pathway. Neither receptor isoform is able to stimulate calcium mobilization from internal stores after GHRH treatment. Our findings indicate that the pituitary-specific transcription factor Pit-1 is involved in the somatotroph-specific expression of the GHRH receptor gene and that functionally distinct receptor proteins are generated by an alternative RNA processing mechanism.

Neuroendocrine control of growth hormone secretion

The secretion of growth hormone (GH) is regulated through a complex neuroendocrine control system, especially by the functional interplay of two hypothalamic hypophysiotropic hormones, GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin (SS), exerting stimulatory and inhibitory influences, respectively, on the somatotrope. The two hypothalamic neurohormones are subject to modulation by a host of neurotransmitters, especially the noradrenergic and cholinergic ones and other hypothalamic neuropeptides, and are the final mediators of metabolic, endocrine, neural, and immune influences for the secretion of GH. Since the identification of the GHRH peptide, recombinant DNA procedures have been used to characterize the corresponding cDNA and to clone GHRH receptor isoforms in rodent and human pituitaries. Parallel to research into the effects of SS and its analogs on endocrine and exocrine secretions, investigations into their mechanism of action have led to the discovery of five separate SS receptor genes encoding a family of G protein-coupled SS receptors, which are widely expressed in the pituitary, brain, and the periphery, and to the synthesis of analogs with subtype specificity. Better understanding of the function of GHRH, SS, and their receptors and, hence, of neural regulation of GH secretion in health and disease has been achieved with the discovery of a new class of fairly specific, orally active, small peptides and their congeners, the GH-releasing peptides, acting on specific, ubiquitous seven-transmembrane domain receptors, whose natural ligands are not yet known.

Effect of growth hormone releasing hormone on luteinizing hormone stimulated progestin biosynthesis in cultured rat ovarian granulosa cells

In the present study, we examined the effects of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) on luteinizing hormone (LH)-stimulated progestin biosynthesis. Granulosa cells from pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG)-treated immature rats were cultured in vitro in the absence or presence of ovine. National Institute of Health LH (100 ng/ml) with various doses of GHRH (10(-9), 10(-8) and 10(-7) mol/l) for 24 h. At the end of the incubation period, the incubation media were collected and levels of progesterone, 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) were measured. GHRH significantly stimulated progesterone production and cAMP accumulation in media in a dose-dependent manner in the basal state (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). In the presence of LH, GHRH significantly inhibited LH-stimulated progesterone production in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.01), whereas increasing concentrations of GHRH produced progressive increases in cAMP accumulation (p < 0.05). Since increasing concentrations of GHRH produced progressive decreases in the ratio of progesterone to 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one production in the LH-stimulated state (p < 0.01), GHRH may be involved in modulation of key steroidogenic steps concerned with progesterone degradation rather than formation in LH-stimulated rat granulosa cells. These results suggest that GHRH may regulate the effects of LH in granulosa cells and play an important role in the reproductive process.

Neuropeptide families: evolutionary perspectives

Examination of neuropeptide families can provide information about phyletic relationships and evolutionary processes. In this article the oxytocin/vasopressin family, growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) superfamily and the substance P/tachykinin family have been considered in detail because they have been isolated from an extraordinarily diverse array of species from several vertebrate classes and invertebrate phyla. More important is that the nucleotide sequence of mRNA or cDNA encoding many of these peptides has been determined, which has allowed evolutionary distances to be estimated based on the DNA mutation rate. The origin of a given family lies in a primordial gene that arose many millions of years ago, and through time, exon duplication and insertion, gene duplication, point mutation and exon loss, the family developed into the forms that are now recognised. For example, in birds, GRF and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) are encoded by the same gene, which probably arose as a result of exon duplication and tandem insertion of the ancestral GRF gene. In mammals GRF is the sole product on one gene, and PACAP is the product of a gene that also produces PACAP-related peptide (PRP), which is homologous to GRF. Thus it appears that between birds and mammals the GRF/PACAP gene duplicated: exon loss gave rise to the mammalian GRF gene, while mutation led to the formation of the mammalian PRP/PACAP gene. The neuropeptide Y superfamily is considered briefly, as is cionin, which is an invertebrate peptide that is closely related to the mammalian gastrin/cholecystokinin family.

Control of human luteal steroidogenesis: role of growth hormone-releasing hormone, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide

OBJECTIVE

To examine the possible effect of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), vasoactive intestinal peptide, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide on basal and hCG-stimulated P production by human luteal cells.

DESIGN

Cultures of human luteal cells from the early and midluteal phase.

SETTING

All corpora lutea were obtained from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Università Cattolica, a public care center.

PATIENT(S)

Ten nonpregnant women between 35 and 47 years of age underwent surgery for various nonendocrine disorders, such as leiomyomatosis.

INTERVENTION(S)

Corpora lutea were obtained at the time of hysterectomy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Luteal cells were incubated with GHRH, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide with or without hCG at different concentrations.

RESULT(S)

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide stimulated P production in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas GHRH and vasoactive intestinal peptide did not affect luteal steroidogenesis. None of the three peptides were found to synergize with hCG.

CONCLUSION(S)

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide can influence human luteal steroidogenesis.

Chronic glutathione depletion alters expression of enteric inhibitory neurochemicals in the mouse

Antioxidants may delay or prevent neural diseases. Depletion of the non-enzymatic antioxidant, glutathione, in a mouse model was produced by inhibiting its rate-limiting enzyme, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, for 7 weeks. Ileum and colon were obtained from treated and control (saline) mice. Glutathione levels and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) diaphorase activity were determined by spectrophotometric assays; vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Glutathione levels were higher in ileum than colon. Colonic glutathione was decreased in treated mice compared to controls; there were no differences in ileal glutathione levels. VIP was decreased in ileum compared to controls, while NADPH diaphorase activity was decreased in colon compared to controls. In this chronic mouse model, glutathione appeared to regulate expression of enteric inhibitory nerve cell products.

Expression of mRNA for vasoactive intestinal peptide in rat small intestine

Transplantation of small intestine is a neural model that permits studies of expression of the neuropeptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, following extrinsic denervation, transection of intrinsic neural pathways, and an ischemic interval. Tissue levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide were examined at 3 months in ileum from a sham operation, in ileum after resection of proximal small intestine, in ileum after resection of proximal small intestine and extrinsic denervation, in ileum after resection of proximal small intestine and 30 min of ischemia, and in ileum obtained 3 months after ileal isografting in Lewis-to-Lewis combinations. Vasoactive intestinal peptide levels were increased in transplanted rat ileum, resection controls, denervation controls, and ischemic controls compared to sham-operated ileum (pANOVA < 0.01). The increased levels of this peptide were highest in denervation controls and lowest in ischemic controls. Northern blot analysis using rat vasoactive intestinal peptide cDNA identified a single 1.7-kb transcript in normal and transplanted rat ileum. The density of vasoactive intestinal peptide transcripts was increased in transplanted ileum (8450 +/- 540) compared to normal ileum (5790 +/- 620) (P < 0.01), and the ratio of this transcript to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase density units was also increased in transplanted ileum (0.81 +/- 0.08) compared to normal ileum (0.40 +/- 0.07; P < 0.01). Enhanced transcriptional regulation was the likely mechanism for increased tissue vasoactive intestinal peptide. The increased tissue levels appeared to be a response to extrinsic denervation and transection of intrinsic neural pathways, while an ischemic interval appeared to decrease tissue levels of the peptide.

Glucagon and glucagon-like peptides in fishes

Glucagon and glucagon-like peptides (GLPs) are coencoded in the vertebrate proglucagon gene. Large differences exist between fishes and other vertebrates in gene structure, peptide expression, peptide chemistry, and function of the hormones produced. Here we review selected aspects of glucagon and glucagon-like peptides in vertebrates with special focus on the contributions made by analysis of piscine systems. Our topics range from the history of discovery to gene structure and expression, through primary structures and regulation of plasma concentrations to physiological effects and message transduction. In fishes, the pancreas synthesizes glucagon and GLP-1, while the intestine may contribute oxyntomodulin, glucagon, GLP-1, and GLP-2. The pancreatic gene is short and lacks the sequence for GLP-2. GLP-1, which is produced exclusively in its biologically active form, is a potent metabolic hormone involved in regulation of liver glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. The responsiveness of isolated hepatocytes to glucagon is limited to high concentrations, while physiological concentrations of GLP-1 effectively regulate hepatic metabolism. Plasma concentrations of GLP-1 are higher than those of glucagon, and liver is identified as the major site of removal of both hormones from fish plasma. Ultimately, GLP-1 and glucagon exert effects on glucose metabolism that directly and indirectly oppose several key actions of insulin. Both glucagon and GLP-1 show very weak insulinotropic activity, if any, when tested on fish pancreas. Intracellular message transduction for glucagon, especially at slightly supraphysiological concentrations, involves cAMP and protein kinase A, while pathways for GLP are largely unknown and may involve a multitude of messengers, including cAMP. In spite of fundamental differences in GLP-1 function between fishes and mammals, fish GLP-1 is as powerful an insulinotropin for mammalian B-cells as mammalian GLP-1 is a metabolic hormone if tested on piscine liver.

Sequence and expression of cDNA for pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)-like peptide in catfish

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) are two neuropeptides that are associated with the release of pituitary growth hormone. Here a cDNA of 2501 base pairs encoding both a PACAP and a GHRH-like peptide was isolated from a brain cDNA library made from Thai catfish (Clarias macrocephalus). The organization is unlike that of the mammalian gene where PACAP and PACAP-related peptide (PRP) are encoded in one gene, and the GHRH peptide is on a separate gene. Northern analysis of catfish brain mRNA indicated that PACAP/GHRH-like mRNA has three sizes; bands of 6000, 2500, and 1000 bases suggest alternative splicing of the gene. Reverse transcriptase/PCR assay detected PACAP/GHRH-like mRNA in tissues from the brain, testis, ovary, and stomach, but not from the pancreas, pituitary, muscle, and liver. Our hypothesis that the two mammalian genes encoding GHRH or PACAP originated from a gene duplication between fish and tetrapods is supported by the present findings of similar mRNA organization and pattern of expression for the one fish gene and two mammalian genes.

Expression of mRNA for vasoactive intestinal peptide in normal human colon and during inflammation

The availability of colon provides a ready source of human neurons. Among the products of nerve cell bodies, vasoactive intestinal peptide is a neuropeptide that serves as a marker of non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic inhibitory nerves in colon. These nerves have been proposed to be involved in regulation of immune function, secretion, and smooth muscle function. In previous work, we identified decreased tissue levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide in a disorder of chronic colonic mucosal inflammation, ulcerative colitis. We hypothesized that diminished gene expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide could result in decreased tissue levels of this neuropeptide. Sigmoid colon was obtained at surgery from controls (n = 6) and patients with ulcerative colitis (n = 6). Vasoactive intestinal peptide mRNA was quantified by Northern blot hybridization and tissue levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide were determined by radioimmunoassay. Tissue vasoactive intestinal peptide was decreased only in the mucosal-submucosal layer of ulcerative colitis (p = .02). There was a single 1.7 kbase vasoactive intestinal peptide transcript identified in both control colon and ulcerative colitis. Normalized vasoactive intestinal peptide mRNA levels were increased by 260% in ulcerative colitis compared to controls (p < .01). These observations suggest that decreased vasoactive intestinal peptide gene expression or abnormal post-transcriptional processing are not primary defects in this disorder of chronic inflammation. The findings support the alternative hypothesis that axonal degeneration in ulcerative colitis could result in increased expression of neuronal vasoactive intestinal peptide mRNA.

Rational design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel growth hormone releasing factor analogues

Since its initial discovery in 1982, growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) has been the subject of intense investigation. This interest was prompted by the potential application of GRF for stimulating growth in dwarf humans and for performance enhancement in livestock. Substantial research has been focused upon the development of potent, long-acting analogs as therapeutics. Herein is described a summary of the cumulative efforts of various laboratories endeavoring in this quest. The rationale utilized in GRF analog development is discussed: 1) determination of bioactive core, 2) evaluation of secondary structure, and 3) elucidation of degradation pathways (chemical and enzymatic). Using this information, several series of linear (unnatural and natural sequence) and cyclic GRF analogs were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. Stimulated by the constraints of commercial production, innovative, alternative methods of synthesis were explored: solid-phase, solution-phase, enzymatic, and recombinant. To date, the most promising candidate for drug development is [His1, Val2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27]-hGRF(1-32)-OH. This natural sequence analog, consisting of rodent and human sequences, incorporates the bioactive core, preferred secondary structure, resistance to chemical and enzymatic degradation; with the added benefit of amenability to large-scale recombinant synthesis.

Growth hormone releasing factor and vasoactive intestinal peptide stimulate rat granulosa cell plasminogen activator activity in vitro during follicular development

Growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) are two structurally homologous peptides sharing common target cell receptor and known to enhance FSH-induced steroidogenesis of undifferentiated granulosa cell in vitro. Although VIP, has been reported to stimulate plasminogen activator (PA) activity in rat granulosa cells, our knowledge on the actions and interactions of these two peptides with FSH in the regulation of rat granulosa cell PA system during follicular development remains incomplete. Undifferentiated and differentiated rat granulosa cells from pre-antral (DES-treated rats) and antral (eCG-treated rats) follicles, respectively, were cultured in a chemically defined medium in the absence and presence of FSH (400 ng/ml), GRF (10(-8)-10(-5) M) and/or VIP (10(-9)-10(-5) M). Net secreted (PAs) and cell-associated (PAc) PA activities was measured by the fibrinolysis assay and characterized by the fibrin overlay method. Granulosa cell differentiative (progestin secretion) and proliferative (DNA synthesis) responses were analyzed by radioimmunoassay and [3H]thymidine incorporation, respectively. Both GRF and VIP stimulated PAs and PAc activities in a concentration-dependent manner in 24-h cultures of granulosa cells from the two stages of follicular development. They (10(-5) M) enhanced FSH-stimulated PAs activity in granulosa cell cultures of pre-antral follicles, with GRF being more effective than VIP. On the contrary, only GRF (10 microM) potentiated FSH-induced PAs and PAc activities in cultures of granulosa cell from antral follicles. The stimulation of PA activity by these agonists decreased with the duration of culture irrespective of the stage of follicular development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Growth hormone-releasing hormone: synthesis and signaling

The molecular characterization of GHRH and the GHRH receptor provides a framework for understanding the hypothalamic regulation of pituitary somatotroph function. The signaling events discerned from our investigation of GHRH receptor structure and function form the basis of a model for GHRH action, which is shown in Fig. 20. GHRH interaction with its seven transmembrane domain Gs-coupled receptor on the somatotroph (step 1) leads to the release of growth hormone from secretory granules (step 2), which is likely to involve a G protein-mediated interaction with ion channels, and to a stimulation of intracellular cAMP accumulation (step 3) (Mayo, 1992; Lin et al., 1992; Gaylinn et al., 1993). In several cell types tested, elevated cAMP leads to the phosphorylation and activation of the transcription factor CREB by protein kinase A (Gonzalez and Montminy, 1989; Sheng et al., 1991), and one target gene for CREB action is the pituitary-specific transcription factor Pit-1 or GHF-1 (step 4) (Bodner et al., 1988; Ingraham et al., 1988; McCormick et al., 1990). Pit-1 is a prototypic POU domain protein that is required for the appropriate regulation of the growth hormone gene in somatotroph cells, thus providing a pathway by which a GHRH signal can lead to increased growth hormone synthesis in the pituitary (step 5). In addition, Pit-1 is likely to directly regulate the synthesis of the GHRH receptor (step 6), in that the receptor is not expressed in the pituitary of dw/dw mice that lack functional Pit-1 (Lin et al., 1992), and a cotransfected Pit-1 expression construct can activate the GHRH receptor promoter in transiently transfected CV1 cells (Lin et al., 1993). It remains to be determined whether additional direct regulation of the GHRH receptor gene in response to the cAMP signaling pathway occurs (step 7). The inhibitory peptide somatostatin presumably interacts with this same signaling pathway through G protein-mediated suppression of the cAMP pathway (Tallent and Reisine, 1992; Bell and Reisine, 1993). In agreement with the importance of this signaling system for normal growth, a transgene encoding a nonphosphorylatable mutant CREB protein, which blocks the function of the endogenous CREB protein, is able to cause somatotroph hypoplasia and dwarfism in mice when its expression is targeted to pituitary somatotrophs (Struthers et al., 1991). Several steps in the signaling pathway leading to growth hormone secretion are subject to disruption, resulting in growth hormone deficiency.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Characterization of insulins and proglucagon-derived peptides from a phylogenetically ancient fish, the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)

The North American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula (Order Acipenseriformes) is an extant representative of a group of primitive Actinopterygian (ray-finned) fish that probably shared a common ancestor with present-day teleosts. Two molecular forms of insulin which differ by a single amino acid substitution, His or Asp at position 15 of the A chain, were isolated from the pancreas of the paddlefish. Paddlefish insulins show greatest structural similarity to insulin from the garfish (order Lepisosteiformes) and resemble mammalian insulins more strongly than do insulins from teleost fish. The primary structures of several proglucagon-derived peptides, two molecular forms of glucagon which differ by the single amino acid substitution Arg18-->Ser, and glucagon-like peptide, have been less well conserved during evolution. The paddlefish glucagons contain 31 amino acid residues, rather than the usual 29, and show several structural features, such as Met5, Glu24 and Gly29, not previously observed in glucagons from other species. In spite of considerable differences in structure between paddlefish and mammalian glucagons (10 or 11 amino acid substitutions), both paddlefish glucagons are equally as effective as bovine glucagon in stimulating glycogenolysis in dispersed hepatocytes from the teleost fish Sebastes caurinus (rockfish). However, the substitution Arg18-->Ser in the paddlefish glucagon results in a 6-fold decrease in potency in this system.

Proglucagon is processed to glucagon by prohormone convertase PC2 in alpha TC1-6 cells

Proglucagon is processed differentially in the pancreatic alpha cells and the intestinal L cells to yield either glucagon or glucagon-like peptide 1, respectively, structurally related hormones with opposing metabolic actions. Here, we have studied the processing of proglucagon in alpha TC1-6 cells, an islet-cell line transformed by simian virus 40 large tumor (T) antigen, a model of the pancreatic alpha cell. We found that these cells process proglucagon at certain dibasic cleavage sites to release glucagon and only small amounts of glucagon-like peptide 1, as demonstrated by both continuous and pulse-chase labeling experiments. Both normal islet alpha cells and alpha TC1-6 cells were shown to express the prohormone convertase PC2 at high levels, but not the related protease PC3. Expression of PC2 antisense RNA in alpha TC1-6 cells inhibited both PC2 production and proglucagon processing concomitantly. We conclude that PC2 is the key endoprotease responsible for proglucagon processing in cells with the alpha-cell phenotype.

Activity of oxyntomodulin on gastric acid secretion induced by histamine or a meal in the rat

Conscious rats with chronic gastric fistula were trained for drinking a 14-ml milk meal. The activity of an intestinal hormone, oxyntomodulin (OXM), was studied in this model and compared to that observed when histamine was the stimulus. Under histamine (0.25 mg.kg-1.h-1) stimulation, OXM at doses (60-120 pmol.kg-1.h-1) that induced physiological circulating levels inhibited gastric acid secretion up to 50%. Under meal stimulation, OXM reduced up to 29% acid secretion at doses (1-1.5 nmol.kg-1.h-1) inducing supraphysiological levels. We conclude that at physiological concentrations OXM cannot counteract the complex processes triggered by a meal. OXM would be a component of enterogastrone, a combination of several intestinal hormones acting in synergy. The OXM action is related to pathways recognizing the C-terminal 19-37 moiety of the molecule.

Gene expression and transcript size of the prepro-peptide VIP/PHM-27 in normal human tissue

The transcript size of VIP/PHM-27 mRNA (vasoactive intestinal peptide/peptide histidine methionine) and the relative distribution of VIP/PHM-27 gene expression in 10 normal human tissues was examined. After mRNA extraction from tissue, VIP/PHM-27 transcript size and relative abundance of mRNA was determined by Northern blot analysis and densitometry of the autoradiograms. VIP/PHM-27 mRNA was detectable in brain, pancreas, colon, ileum and striated muscle while no hybridization signal was observed in liver, kidney, lung, heart, prostate and placental tissue. VIP/PHM-27 transcript in human brain and gut was a single band of 1.7 kb; by contrast, a 7.0-kb transcript was detected in striated skeletal muscle. The highest relative levels of mRNA were observed in brain and pancreas.

Receptors for secretin, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone (PTH)/PTH-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, glucagonlike peptide 1, growth hormone-releasing hormone, and glucagon belong to a newly discovered G-protein-linked receptor family

Seven receptors with highly homologous structural features have recently been discovered that belong to a new family of seven membrane-spanning receptors within the G-protein-linked receptor superfamily. These seven all bind small peptide ligands, and many have the unique property to activate the G(S) and at least one other G protein.

Structure and biological activity of glucagon and glucagon-like peptide from a primitive bony fish, the bowfin (Amia calva)

The bowfin, Amia calva (order Amiiformes) occupies an important position in phylogeny as a surviving representative of a group of primitive ray-finned fishes from which the present-day teleosts may have evolved. Glucagon and glucagon-like peptide (GLP) were isolated from an extract of bowfin pancreas and their primary structures determined. Bowfin glucagon shows only four amino acid substitutions compared with human glucagon, and bowfin glucagon was equipotent and equally effective as human glucagon in stimulation of glycogenolysis in dispersed hepatocytes from a teleost fish, the copper rockfish, Sebastes caurinus. In contrast, bowfin GLP shows 15 amino acid substitutions and three amino acid deletions compared with the corresponding region of human GLP-1-(7-37)-peptide. In particular, the bowfin peptide contains an N-terminal tyrosine residue rather than the N-terminal histidine residue found in all other glucagon-related peptides so far characterized. Bowfin GLP stimulated glycogenolysis in rockfish hepatocytes, but was 3-fold less effective and 23-fold less potent than human GLP-1-(7-37)-peptide. We speculate that selective mutations in the GLP domain of bowfin preproglucagon may be an adaptive response to the previously demonstrated low biological potency of bowfin insulin.

Two salmon neuropeptides encoded by one brain cDNA are structurally related to members of the glucagon superfamily

A cDNA that codes for two peptides in the glucagon superfamily has been isolated from sockeye salmon brain. The first peptide is related to growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), which has high sequence similarity with PACAP-related peptide. The second peptide is structurally related to vasoactive intestinal peptide, which is also related to a newly identified peptide in mannals, pituitary adenylate-cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP). The salmon precursor contains 173 amino acids and has dibasic and monobasic enzyme-processing sites for cleavage of a 45-amino-acid GHRH-like peptide with a free C-terminus and a 38-amino-acid PACAP with an amidated C-terminus. The salmon GHRH-like peptide has 40% amino acid sequence identity with a human GHRH and 56% identity with human PACAP-related peptide. The 38-amino-acid salmon PACAP is highly conserved (89-92% identity) with only three or four amino acid substitutions compared with the human, ovine and rat 38-amino-acid PACAP. Not previously reported for mammalian species, a short precursor coding for only one peptide exists in salmon in addition to the long precursor coding for two peptides. In the short precursor, the coding region for GHRH is deleted leaving the PACAP-coding region in a correct reading frame. This provides one possible control mechanism for an increased expression of one peptide (PACAP) without the concomitant increase in the other peptide (GHRH) as occurs in a double-peptide precursor. The importance of the 3' non-translated region of the salmon GHRH/PACAP precursor in the regulation of translation is suggested by its 70% nucleotide sequence identity to the 3' non-translated regions of the mammalian PACAP precursors. The structural organization of the salmon GHRH/PACAP precursor provides a possible evolutionary scheme for precursors that contain tandem peptides in the glucagon superfamily.

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide: structure of the precursor and tissue-specific expression in rat

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) is a 42-amino acid gastrointestinal regulatory peptide that stimulates insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells in the presence of glucose. Approximately 7.8 x 10(5) recombinant clones of a neonatal rat intestinal cDNA library were screened by using plaque hybridization, and three clones were identified and sequenced with the dideoxynucleotide chain-termination method. The translated amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA indicated that rat GIP was derived by proteolytic processing of a 144-amino acid precursor polypeptide. The mature peptide is flanked by a 43-amino acid NH2-terminal peptide that contains a 21-amino acid signal peptide and by a 59-amino acid COOH-terminal peptide. Analysis of the nucleotide and amino acid sequence of rat GIP revealed only two substitutions from the known human GIP peptide. The use of high-stringency RNA blot-hybridization analysis of total RNA extracted from various organs demonstrated expression of the GIP gene in the duodenum and jejunum and, to a lesser extent, in the ileum. In addition, expression of the GIP gene was observed in the submandibular salivary gland both by RNA analysis and RIA. In response to duodenal perfusion of a 20% Lipomul meal for 60 min, duodenal mucosal GIP mRNA concentrations increased by 42.8% and 48.2% at 30 and 60 min, respectively.

Two 3',5'-cyclic-adenosine monophosphate response elements in the promoter region of the human gastric inhibitory polypeptide gene

Transfection of chimeric chloramphenicol acetyltransferase plasmids containing various deletions of the human gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) promoter into hamster insulinoma (HIT T15) cells indicated that the region between -180 and +14 is sufficient for basal promoter activity. Two CRE-BP1 binding sites were identified in this promoter region by DNase I footprinting with the bacterially expressed cAMP response element (CRE) binding protein, CRE-BP1. Mutation analyses showed that these two CREs are required for the basal promoter activity, and furthermore that one site, at nucleotide-158, contributed mainly to the cAMP inducibility of the GIP promoter in HIT T15 cells. Interestingly, the GIP promoter activity was repressed by the c-jun proto-oncogene product, possibly through the CREs.

Coexistence of glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide in human and rat pancreatic endocrine cells

Pancreatic islet cells containing both glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide simultaneously (glucagon/PP cells) were identified in the rat and human normal pancreas using immunocy-tochemical staining on consecutive serial sections and double-immunolabeling techniques on the same sections. Numerous glucagon/PP cells were found at the periphery of the islets in all regions of the pancreas, particularly in the rat. As a whole, these bipeptide-containing cells appeared in higher proportions than the cells secreting glucagon or PP separately. Double immunogold labeling performed on both surfaces of the thin tissue sections allowed differentiation between the glucagon/PP cells and the single-labeled glucagon or PP cells at the ultra-structural level. The pancreatic glucagon/PP cells displayed the morphological characteristics of either A cells or PP cells. Both peptides were found in the same secretory granules of the glucagon/PP cells and, in the human pancreas, the glucagon/PP cells displayed secretory granules with a dense core in which both peptides were rather concentrated. The coexistence of glucagon and PP is assumed to originate from the simultaneous expression of the two different genes in the same cell and suggests that the cellular processing through the rough en-doplasmic reticulum-Golgi apparatusgranule secretory pathway for both peptides takes place in parallel.

Tissue-specific expression of the rat secretin precursor gene

Secretin is a 27-amino acid gastrointestinal hormone that stimulates the secretion of bicarbonate-rich pancreatic fluid. We previously demonstrated that the secretin precursor gene is expressed in the brain as well as in the small intestine. In this study, we demonstrated that the abundance of secretin precursor mRNA in the heart, lung, and kidney was comparable to that of the small intestine. The nucleotide sequences of the coding regions of the secretin precursor mRNAs in these tissues were identical to those of the small intestine, indicating that secretin precursor proteins produced in these tissues are identical to those in the small intestine. This is the first report that the secretin precursor gene is also expressed in the heart, lung, kidney, and testis as well as in the gastrointestinal tract and brain.

The secretin gene: evolutionary history, alternative splicing, and developmental regulation

The gene encoding the hormone secretin has been isolated and structurally characterized. The transcriptional unit is divided into four exons spanning 813 nucleotides. Comparison of the rat secretin gene to the other members of the glucagon-secretin gene family reveals that similarities are restricted to the exons encoding the biologically active peptides. Analysis of RNA from porcine intestine indicates that at least two transcripts are generated from the porcine secretin gene as a result of differential splicing. The longer and more abundant transcript appears to be identical to a previously isolated cDNA, which encodes a precursor that includes a 72-amino acid C-terminal extension peptide. The shorter transcript does not contain the third exon and, as a result, encodes only 44 residues beyond the C terminus of secretin. The amino acid sequence deduced from the shorter transcript is identical to a precursor form of secretin recently isolated from porcine duodenum [Gafvelin, G., Jornvall, H. & Mutt, V. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 6781-6785]. Developmental studies reveal that both secretin mRNA and peptide levels in the intestine are highest just before birth, prior to the onset of gastric acid secretion and feeding. This observation implies that secretin biosynthesis in developing animals is controlled independently of the principal factors known to regulate secretin release in adult animals.

Characterization of the gene and messages for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in rat and mouse

We have studied the structure and expression of the gene for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in rodents. We used a human cDNA to identify and clone a fragment of the rat VIP gene. This genomic fragment contained two separate exons, one encoding VIP itself and the other encoding a closely related neuropeptide, peptide histidine-isoleucine (PHI-27). Probes containing either exon, or both, hybridized to two messages: a prominent 1700-base (b) mRNA and a rare 1000-b species. These messages are expressed together in a tissue-specific manner, with highest levels in polyadenylated RNA from cerebral cortex and from small intestine, paralleling the reported levels of the neuropeptides themselves in these tissues. Using the rat genomic fragment as a probe, we isolated the mouse VIP gene in its entirety. The mouse gene is similar in organization to its human counterpart, with a total of 7 exons spanning 8 kilobases (kb). The 7th and largest exon, which is transcribed into the bulk of the 3' untranslated region of the messages, bears two potential polyadenylation sites 700 basepairs (bp) apart. S-1 nuclease protection with a fragment of this exon indicated that the two identifiable VIP messages differ in the extent of their 3' untranslated regions. Conversely, we found no evidence for differential splicing to produce messages encoding only one of the neuropeptides. Instead, specific oligonucleotide-directed digestion with RNase H demonstrated that all of the detectable mRNA from this gene contains both VIP and PHI coding sequences.

Expression of a chimeric VIP gene is targeted to the intestine in transgenic mice

We showed previously that a gene construction that consisted of 5.2 kb of 5' flanking sequence, the first exon, and part of the first intron of the human gene encoding vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) fused to the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) fully mimicked the diverse behavior of the endogenous VIP gene when transfected into subclones of the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH (Waschek et al., 1988). To determine if the same sequences were sufficient to target expression of a reporter to VIP-producing tissues in the mouse, we initiated a pilot study in which we generated four transgenic mice or mouse lines that contained the VIPCAT fusion gene. Detectable levels of CAT were found in the ileum of either founder or offspring of each of the transgenic mouse lines. In all other tissues tested, CAT activity was either below the level of detection or the transgene was not expressed, with the exception of one mouse in which ectopic expression in the cerebellum was observed. The results indicate that the VIP sequences utilized were sufficient to direct expression of the transgene to the intestine, but not necessarily to other sites of VIP expression. To investigate what specific DNA sequences might confer VIP expression in the intestine and other sites, we analyzed further the VIP gene in SK-N-SH subclones using VIP/luciferase fusion gene constructions. A 0.6 kb DNA fragment located between 4.0 kb and 4.6 kb upstream from the VIP transcriptional start site was found to impart a high level of expression in one subclone and an increased degree of phorbol ester induction in another. These and other data indicate that multiple transcriptional elements control VIP expression in neuroblastoma cells and are candidates as mediators of VIP gene expression in the intact animal.