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Liu Y, Wei JA, Luo Z, Cui J, Luo Y, Mak SOK, Wang S, Zhang F, Yang Y, So KF, Shi L, Zhang L, Chow BKC. A gut-brain axis mediates sodium appetite via gastrointestinal peptide regulation on a medulla-hypothalamic circuit. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd5330. [PMID: 36791202 PMCID: PMC9931223 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add5330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Salt homeostasis is orchestrated by both neural circuits and peripheral endocrine factors. The colon is one of the primary sites for electrolyte absorption, while its potential role in modulating sodium intake remains unclear. Here, we revealed that a gastrointestinal hormone, secretin, is released from colon endocrine cells under body sodium deficiency and is indispensable for inducing salt appetite. As the neural substrate, circulating secretin activates specific receptors in the nucleus of the solitary tracts, which further activates the downstream paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, resulting in enhanced sodium intake. These results demonstrated a previously unrecognized gut-brain pathway for the timely regulation of sodium homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchu Liu
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ji-an Wei
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Zhihua Luo
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Cui
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yifan Luo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Sarah Oi Kwan Mak
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Siqi Wang
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fengwei Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kwok-Fai So
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, China
- Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lingling Shi
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, China
- Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China
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Zhang F, Mak SOK, Liu Y, Ke Y, Rao F, Yung WH, Zhang L, Chow BKC. Secretin receptor deletion in the subfornical organ attenuates the activation of excitatory neurons under dehydration. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4832-4841.e5. [PMID: 36220076 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, thirst is strongly influenced by the subfornical organ (SFO), a forebrain structure that integrates circulating signals including osmotic pressure and sodium contents. Secretin (SCT), a classical gastrointestinal hormone, has been implicated as a humoral factor regulating body-fluid homeostasis. However, the neural mechanism of secretin in the central nervous system in managing thirst remains unclear. In this study, we report that the local ablation of SCT receptor (SCTR) in the SFO reduces water but not salt intake in dehydrated mice and this effect could not be rescued by exogenous SCT administration. Electrophysiology with single-cell RT-PCR indicates that SCT elicits inward currents in the SFO neuronal nitric oxide synthase (SFOnNOS) neurons via SCTR in the presence of glutamate receptor antagonists. We further show that the SCTR in the SFO permits the activation of SFOnNOS neurons under distinct thirst types. Projection-specific gene deletion of SCTR in SFO to the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) pathway also reduces water intake in dehydrated animals. SCT signaling thus plays an indispensable role in driving thirst. These data not only expand the functional boundaries of SCTR but also provide insights into the central mechanisms of homeostatic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengwei Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sarah O K Mak
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuchu Liu
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ya Ke
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China; Gerald Choa Neuroscience Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Feng Rao
- School of Life Sciences, Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Wing Ho Yung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China; Gerald Choa Neuroscience Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Li Zhang
- Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China.
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Singh K, Nawabjan SA, Zhang L, El-Nezami H, Annapureddy RR, Chow BKC. Discovery of small-molecule modulators of the secretin receptor: Purmorphamine as novel anti-hypertensive agent. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 242:114642. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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AlQudah M, Hale TM, Czubryt MP. Targeting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in fibrosis. Matrix Biol 2020; 91-92:92-108. [PMID: 32422329 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2020.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components such as collagen in tissues or organs. Fibrosis can develop in the heart, kidneys, liver, skin or any other body organ in response to injury or maladaptive reparative processes, reducing overall function and leading eventually to organ failure. A variety of cellular and molecular signaling mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) interacts with the potent Transforming Growth Factor β (TGFβ) pro-fibrotic pathway to mediate fibrosis in many cell and tissue types. RAAS consists of both classical and alternative pathways, which act to potentiate or antagonize fibrotic signaling mechanisms, respectively. This review provides an overview of recent literature describing the roles of RAAS in the pathogenesis of fibrosis, particularly in the liver, heart, kidney and skin, and with a focus on RAAS interactions with TGFβ signaling. Targeting RAAS to combat fibrosis represents a promising therapeutic approach, particularly given the lack of strategies for treating fibrosis as its own entity, thus animal and clinical studies to examine the impact of natural and synthetic substances to alter RAAS signaling as a means to treat fibrosis are reviewed as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad AlQudah
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada; Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan
| | - Taben M Hale
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix, United States
| | - Michael P Czubryt
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada.
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Loss of secretin results in systemic and pulmonary hypertension with cardiopulmonary pathologies in mice. Sci Rep 2019; 9:14211. [PMID: 31578376 PMCID: PMC6775067 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50634-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 1 billion people globally are suffering from hypertension, which is a long-term incurable medical condition that can further lead to dangerous complications and death if left untreated. In earlier studies, the brain-gut peptide secretin (SCT) was found to be able to control blood pressure by its cardiovascular and pulmonary effects. For example, serum SCT in patients with congestive heart failure was one-third of the normal level. These observations strongly suggest that SCT has a causal role in blood pressure control, and in this report, we used constitutive SCT knockout (SCT−/−) mice and control C57BL/6N mice to investigate differences in the morphology, function, underlying mechanisms and response to SCT treatment. We found that SCT−/− mice suffer from systemic and pulmonary hypertension with increased fibrosis in the lungs and heart. Small airway remodelling and pulmonary inflammation were also found in SCT−/− mice. Serum NO and VEGF levels were reduced and plasma aldosterone levels were increased in SCT−/− mice. Elevated cardiac aldosterone and decreased VEGF in the lungs were observed in the SCT−/− mice. More interestingly, SCT replacement in SCT−/− mice could prevent the development of heart and lung pathologies compared to the untreated group. Taken together, we comprehensively demonstrated the critical role of SCT in the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems and provide new insight into the potential role of SCT in the pathological development of cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.
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Bai J, Duraisamy K, Mak SOK, Allam A, Ajarem J, Li Z, Chow BKC. Role of SCTR/AT1aR heteromer in mediating ANGII-induced aldosterone secretion. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222005. [PMID: 31479491 PMCID: PMC6719825 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The involvement of secretin (SCT) and its receptor (SCTR) in angiotensin II (ANGII)-mediated osmoregulation by forming SCTR/ angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) heteromer is well established. In this study, we demonstrated that SCTR/AT1R complex can mediate ANGII-induced aldosterone secretion/release through potentiating calcium mobilization. Through IHC and cAMP studies, we showed the presence of functional SCTR and AT1R in the primary zona glomerulosa (ZG) cells of C57BL/6N (C57), and functional AT1R and non-functional SCTR in SCTR knockout (SCTR-/-) mice. Calcium mobilization studies revealed the important role of SCTR on ANGII-mediated calcium mobilization in adrenal gland. The fluo4-AM loaded primary adrenal ZG cells from the C57 mice displayed a dose-dependent increase in intracellular calcium influx ([Ca2+]i) when exposed to ANGII but not from the SCTR-/- ZG cells. Synthetic SCTR transmembrane (TM) peptides STM-II/-IV were able to alter [Ca2+]i in C57 mice, but not the mice with mutated STM-II/-IV (STM-IIm/IVm) peptides. Through enzyme immunoassay (EIA), we measured the aldosterone release from primary ZG cells of both C57 and SCTR-/- mice by exposing them to ANGII (10nM). SCTR-/- ZG cells showed impaired ANGII-induced aldosterone secretion compared to the C57 mice. TM peptide, STM-II hindered the aldosterone secretion in ZG cells of C57 mice. These findings support the involvement of SCTR/AT1R heterodimer complex in aldosterone secretion/release through [Ca2+]i.
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MESH Headings
- Aldosterone/metabolism
- Angiotensin II/metabolism
- Animals
- Calcium Signaling
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mutation
- Osmoregulation/genetics
- Osmoregulation/physiology
- Peptide Fragments/chemistry
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/metabolism
- Protein Structure, Quaternary
- Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1/chemistry
- Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1/metabolism
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/chemistry
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/deficiency
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism
- Receptors, Gastrointestinal Hormone/chemistry
- Receptors, Gastrointestinal Hormone/deficiency
- Receptors, Gastrointestinal Hormone/metabolism
- Zona Glomerulosa/cytology
- Zona Glomerulosa/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Bai
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Karthi Duraisamy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sarah O. K. Mak
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ahmed Allam
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Jamaan Ajarem
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA
| | - Zhang Li
- GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Billy K. C. Chow
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- * E-mail:
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Blanco MJ. Building upon Nature's Framework: Overview of Key Strategies Toward Increasing Drug-Like Properties of Natural Product Cyclopeptides and Macrocycles. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 2001:203-233. [PMID: 31134573 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9504-2_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The pharmaceutical industry has focused mainly in the development of small-molecule entities intended for oral administration for the past decades. As a result, the majority of existing drugs address only a narrow range of biological targets. In the era of post-genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, there is an increasing interest on larger modulators of proteins that can span larger surfaces, access new therapeutic mechanisms of action, and provide greater target specificity. Traditional drug-like molecules developed using "rule-of-five" (Ro5) guidelines have been proven ineffective against a variety of challenging targets, such as protein-protein interactions, nucleic acid complexes, and antibacterial modalities. However, natural products are known to be effective at modulating such targets, leading to a renewed focus by medicinal chemists on investigating underrepresented chemical scaffolds associated with natural products. Here we describe recent efforts toward identification of novel natural cyclopeptides and macrocycles as well as selected medicinal chemistry strategies to increase drug-like properties or further exploration of their activity.
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