Characterization of vasoactive intestinal peptide receptors in nervous and immune systems

Neuropeptides and Langerhans cells

The immune system and nervous system are intimately related. In addition to neuroendocrine mechanisms, neuropeptides have a variety of effects on immune cells and are responsible at least in part for neurogenic inflammation. The presence of neuropeptides in the skin has been well documented. The influence of neuropeptides on Langerhans cells is the focus of this paper. The physical presence and effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide on Langerhans cells is emphasized. Discussion also includes the putative inflammatory and immunologic roles of vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P, neurotensin, neuropeptide Y, and somatostatin in the skin.

Molecular properties of the vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor in aorta and other tissues

The molecular weight of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor was assessed in bovine aorta, and rat liver, lung, and brain by covalent cross-linking and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The receptor in all four tissues was found to be a single polypeptide of approximate M(r) 54,000, contradicting previous claims for substantial heterogeneity in the molecular weight of this receptor. Guanine nucleotides inhibit cross-linking of 125I-VIP to its receptor, and cross-linking with ethylene glycolbis(succinimidylsuccinate) provides further evidence for complex formation between VIP, its receptor and a guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (G-protein). The precise mechanism of receptor-G-protein coupling may differ between the aorta and other tissues.

Regional distribution of guanine nucleotide-sensitive and guanine nucleotide-insensitive vasoactive intestinal peptide receptors in rat brain

Based on the ability of guanine nucleotides to inhibit the binding of vasoactive intestinal peptide to its receptors, a guanosine 5'-triphosphate analog, guanylyl-imidodiphosphate, was used to differentiate two subtypes (or different functional states of a single subtype) of vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor in brain with in vitro autoradiography. In most brain regions, guanylyl-imidodiphosphate reduced vasoactive intestinal peptide binding between 40 and 60%. However, in the supraoptic nucleus, locus coeruleus, interpeduncular nucleus, facial nucleus, olfactory tubercle and periventricular hypothalamic nucleus, 80% or more of vasoactive intestinal peptide binding was inhibited. In other brain regions, including the medial geniculate, olfactory bulbs, and ventral thalamic nuclei, guanylyl-imidodiphosphate had little effect on vasoactive intestinal peptide binding. In liver, lung and intestine it also partly inhibited vasoactive intestinal peptide binding. Electrophoretic analysis of vasoactive intestinal peptide, covalently cross-linked to its receptors in brain membranes, revealed a pair of bands between 44,000 and 52,000 mol. wt, a component at 64,000 mol. wt and another at 92,000 mol. wt. All were displaceable with vasoactive intestinal peptide but guanylyl-imidodiphosphate displaced only the 64,000 mol. wt band suggesting that the GTP-sensitive vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor seen in brain sections has a molecular weight of about 61,000. The differential sensitivity to guanylyl-imidodiphosphate suggests the existence of at least two vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor subtypes in brain, with distinct regional distribution, and may reflect differential coupling to second messenger systems.

Neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms in the choroid plexus-cerebrospinal fluid system

The CSF is often regarded as merely a mechanical support for the brain, as well as an unspecific sink for waste products from the CNS. New methodology in receptor autoradiography, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology has revealed the presence of many different neuroendocrine substances or their corresponding receptors in the main CSF-forming structure, the choroid plexus. Both older research on the sympathetic nerves and recent studies of peptide neurotransmitters in the choroid plexus support a neurogenic regulation of choroid plexus CSF production and other transport functions. Among the endocrine substances present in blood and CSF, 5-HT, ANP, vasopressin and the IGFs have high receptor concentrations in the choroid plexus and have been shown to influence choroid plexus function. Finally, the choroid plexus produces the growth factor IGF-II and a number of transport proteins, most importantly transthyretin, that might regulate hormone transport from blood to brain. These studies suggest that the choroid plexus-CSF system could constitute an important pathway for neuroendocrine signalling in the brain, although clearcut evidence for such a role is still largely lacking.

Modulation of human natural killer activity by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) family. VIP, glucagon and GHRF specifically inhibit NK activity

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is a neuropeptide, which also modulates some immune functions. Natural killer (NK) cell activity was already found to be diminished by VIP. In the present paper we report that VIP is able to decrease NK cell activity of human large granular lymphocytes (LGL), showing maximal inhibition at doses ranging from 10(-8) to 10(-6) M. Some neuropeptides, belonging to the VIP family (secretin, glucagon, peptide histidine isoleucine, PHI and human growth hormone releasing factor, GHRF), were also tested. Among these peptides, secretin and PHI were shown to be uneffective on NK cell activity whereas glucagon and GHRF were inhibitory. The D50 of GHRF was similar to that of VIP (10(-9) M), the D50 of glucagon was 10(-8) M. A recently synthesized VIP-antagonist (4Cl-D-Phe6-Leu17) was then used to assess its ability to reverse the VIP-mediated inhibition of NK activity. The antagonist was able to completely reverse the inhibitory effect of VIP on NK activity. The VIP-antagonist was also able to reverse the inhibitory effect of glucagon and GHRF, even though to a lesser extent than for VIP. Our data provide a new physiological observation regarding the functional activity of LGL, supporting the presence of a receptor for VIP on human LGL with NK activity.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide: autocrine growth factor in neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor of children less than 5 years of age; yet the biology of this tumor is poorly understood. Neuroblastoma tumors are derived from neural crest precursors; they synthesize both adrenergic and peptidergic neurotransmitters. This study determined VIP receptor expression in primary neuroblastoma tumors prior to chemotherapy. The VIP receptor was expressed in 12 of 15 neuroblastoma tumors as determined by direct binding studies (KD = 1.3-12.4 nM) and VIP-mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase. The VIP stimulation index for adenylate cyclase in the primary tumor was inversely correlated with the VIP content of the tumor, suggesting that VIP regulates its own receptor expression. Similar observations were made in vitro by comparison of two human neuroblastoma cell lines, IMR32 and SKNSH. Both cell lines were demonstrated to express specific, high affinity VIP receptors (KD = 4 nM and 2.5 nM for IMR32 and SKNSH, respectively). IMR32 cells contained very low levels of VIP (0.6 pg VIP/10(6) cells). Exogenous VIP stimulated adenylate cyclase 22-fold over basal activity and VIP inhibited proliferation of IMR32 cells by 49% in 6-day cultures. On the other hand, SKNSH cells synthesized high levels of VIP (6.3 pg/10(6) cells), metabolized VIP rapidly and demonstrated a low level of VIP-mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase; their proliferation rate was minimally inhibited by exogenous VIP. These observations help validate the hypothesis that VIP serves as an autocrine growth factor in neuroblastoma.

Epithelial cells purified from choroid plexus have receptors for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide

Using the choroid plexus from pig a method has been developed to purify the epithelial cells from the underlying vascularized connective tissue stroma. An epithelial cell fraction was obtained that showed a purity of at least 95%, as determined by light microscopic analysis. The epithelial cells were investigated for the presence of binding sites for the neurotransmitter peptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Suspensions of epithelial cells were found to have high affinity binding sites for 125I-labelled VIP, with maximum binding obtained after 30 min incubation at 20 degrees C with a concentration of 50 micrograms cell protein per sample. Competition experiments with displacement of [125I]VIP binding by increasing concentrations of unlabeled VIP indicated the presence of a single class of binding sites with a Kd of 3 nM and a binding capacity of 970 pmol/g cell protein. Cross-linking of [125I]VIP to epithelial cells with disuccinimido dithiobis (propionate) (DSP), followed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, demonstrated binding to a single 55 kD protein. The receptor was highly specific for VIP as binding was only inhibited in the presence of high concentrations of the related peptides helodermin, growth hormone-releasing factor, secretin, and peptide histidine isoleucine. This is the first demonstration of VIP-binding to choroid plexus epithelial cells.