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Teng Z, Hao L, Yang R, Song J, Wang Z, Jiao Y, Fang J, Zheng S, Ma Z, Chen X, Liu S, Cheng Y. Key pituitary miRNAs mediate the expression of pig GHRHR splice variants by regulating splice factors. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 208:208-218. [PMID: 35306020 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.03.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The growth hormone releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) is well documented in organism growth and its alternative splicing may generate multiple functional GHRHR splice variants (SVs). Our previous study has demonstrated the key pituitary miRNAs (let-7e and miR-328-5p) in pig regulated the expression of GHRHR SVs by directly targeting to them. And according to recent reports, the interplay between miRNA-based silencing of mRNAs and alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs is a crucial post-transcriptional mechanism. In this study, SF3B3 and CPSF4 were firstly excavated as the splice factors that involved in the formation of GHRHR SVs mediated by let-7e and miR-328-5p through the comparation of the expression relations of GHRHR SVs, let-7e/miR-328-5p and SF3B3/CPSF4 in pituitary tissues between Landrace pigs and BaMa pigs, as well as the prediction of the target relations of let-7e/miR-328-5p with SF3B3 and/or CPSF4. SF3B3 and CPSF4 targeted by let-7e and miR-328-5p were further verified by performing dual-luciferase reporter assays and detecting the expression of target transcripts. Then the RT-PCR, RT-qPCR and Western blot assays were used to confirm SF3B3 and CPSF4 were involved in the formation of the GHRHR SVs, and in this process, let-7e and miR-328-5p mediated GHRHR SVs by regulating SF3B3 and CPSF4. Finally, the target site of SF3B3 on pre-GHRHR was on the Exon 12 to Exon14, while CPSF4 acted on the other fragments of the pre-GHRHR, which were explored by dual-luciferase reporter system preliminarily. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to report the miRNAs regulate GHRHR SVs indirectly by splice factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohui Teng
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Linlin Hao
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Rui Yang
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Jie Song
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Zhaoguo Wang
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Yingying Jiao
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Jiayuan Fang
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Shuo Zheng
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Ze Ma
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Xi Chen
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Songcai Liu
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Yunyun Cheng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, College of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
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Cheng Y, Chen T, Song J, Teng Z, Wang C, Wang S, Lu G, Feng T, Qi Q, Xi Q, Liu S, Hao L, Zhang Y. Pituitary miRNAs target GHRHR splice variants to regulate GH synthesis by mediating different intracellular signalling pathways. RNA Biol 2020; 17:1754-1766. [PMID: 32508238 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1778295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Growth hormone (GH), whose synthesis and release are mainly regulated by intracellular signals mediated by growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR), is one of the major pituitary hormones and critical regulators of organism growth, metabolism, and immunoregulation. Pig GHRHR splice variants (SVs) may activate different signalling pathways via the variable C-terminal by alternative splicing, and SVs have the potential to change microRNA (miRNA) binding sites. In this study, we first confirmed the existence of pig GHRHR SVs (i.e., GHRHR, GHRHR SV1 and SV2) and demonstrated the inhibitory effects of critical pituitary miRNAs (i.e., let-7e and miR-328-5p) on GH synthesis and cell proliferation of primary pituitary cells. The SVs of GHRHR targeted by let-7e and miR-328-5p were predicted via bioinformatics analysis and verified by performing dual-luciferase reporter assays and detecting the expression of target transcripts. The differential responses of let-7e, and miR-328-5p to GH-releasing hormone and the changes in signalling pathways mediated by GHRHR suggested that let-7e and miR-328-5p were involved in GH synthesis mediated by GHRHR SVs, indicating that the two miRNAs played different roles by different ways. Finally, results showed that the protein coded by the GHRHR transcript regulated GH through the NO/NOS signalling pathway, whereas that coded by SV1 and SV2 regulated GH through the PKA/CREB signalling pathway, which was confirmed by the changes in signalling pathways after transfecting the expression vectors of GHRHR SVs to GH3 cells. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to report pituitary miRNAs regulate GH synthesis by targeting the different SVs of GHRHR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyun Cheng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China
| | - Ting Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Song
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China
| | - Zhaohui Teng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China.,Research and Development Centre, Dalian Mogue Biotech Co., Ltd , Dalian, China
| | - Chunli Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China
| | - Siyao Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China
| | - Guanhong Lu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China
| | - Tianqi Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China
| | - Qien Qi
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University , Foshan China
| | - Qianyun Xi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China
| | - Songcai Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China
| | - Linlin Hao
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University , Changchun, China
| | - Yongliang Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China
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3
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Divya D, Bhattacharya TK, Gnana Prakash M, Chatterjee RN, Shukla R, Guru Vishnu PB, Vinoth A, Dushyanth K. Molecular characterization and expression profiling of BMP 3 gene in broiler and layer chicken. Mol Biol Rep 2018; 45:477-495. [DOI: 10.1007/s11033-018-4184-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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4
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Bu G, Lin D, Cui L, Huang L, Lv C, Huang S, Wan Y, Fang C, Li J, Wang Y. Characterization of Neuropeptide B (NPB), Neuropeptide W (NPW), and Their Receptors in Chickens: Evidence for NPW Being a Novel Inhibitor of Pituitary GH and Prolactin Secretion. Endocrinology 2016; 157:3562-76. [PMID: 27399877 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The 2 structurally and functionally related peptides, neuropeptide B (NPB) and neuropeptide W (NPW), together with their receptor(s) (NPBWR1/NPBWR2) constitute the NPB/NPW system, which acts mainly on the central nervous system to regulate many physiological processes in mammals. However, little is known about this NPB/NPW system in nonmammalian vertebrates. In this study, the functionality and expression of this NPB/NPW system and its actions on the pituitary were investigated in chickens. The results showed that: 1) chicken NPB/NPW system comprises an NPB peptide of 28 amino acids (cNPB28), an NPW peptide of 23 or 30 amino acids (cNPW23/cNPW30), and their 2 receptors (cNPBWR1 and cNPBWR2), which are highly homologous to their human counterparts. 2) Using a pGL3-CRE-luciferase reporter system, we demonstrated that cNPBWR2 expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells can be potently activated by cNPW23 (not cNPB28), and its activation inhibits the intracellular cAMP signaling pathway, whereas cNPBWR1 shows no response to peptide treatment, suggesting a crucial role of cNPBWR2 in mediating cNPW/cNPB actions. 3) Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that cNPW and cNPB are widely expressed in chicken tissues, including hypothalamus, whereas cNPBWR1 and cNPBWR2 are mainly expressed in brain or pituitary. 4) In accordance with abundant cNPBWR2 expression in pituitary, cNPW23 could dose dependently inhibit GH and prolactin secretion induced by GHRH and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, respectively, in cultured chick pituitary cells, as monitored by Western blotting. Collectively, our data reveal a functional NPB/NPW system in birds and offer the first proof that NPW can act directly on pituitary to inhibit GH/prolactin secretion in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guixian Bu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongliang Lin
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Cui
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Long Huang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Can Lv
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Simiao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiping Wan
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Fang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Juan Li
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Yajun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China
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Harvey S, Gineste C, Gaylinn BD. Growth hormone (GH)-releasing activity of chicken GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) in chickens. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 204:261-6. [PMID: 24955880 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Two peptides with sequence similarities to growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) have been identified by analysis of the chicken genome. One of these peptides, chicken (c) GHRH-LP (like peptide) was previously found to poorly bind to chicken pituitary membranes or to cloned and expressed chicken GHRH receptors and had little, if any, growth hormone (GH)-releasing activity in vivo or in vitro. In contrast, a second more recently discovered peptide, cGHRH, does bind to cloned and expressed cGHRH receptors and increases cAMP activity in transfected cells. The possibility that this peptide may have in vivo GH-releasing activity was therefore assessed. The intravenous (i.v.) administration of cGHRH to immature chickens, at doses of 3-100 μg/kg, significantly increased circulating GH concentrations within 10 min of injection and the plasma GH levels remained elevated for at least 30 min after the injection of maximally effective doses. The plasma GH responses to cGHRH were comparable with those induced by human (h) or porcine (p) GHRH preparations and to that induced by thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH). In marked contrast, the i.v. injection of cGHRH-LP had no significant effect on circulating GH concentrations in immature chicks. GH release was also increased from slaughterhouse chicken pituitary glands perifused for 5 min with cGHRH at doses of 0.1 μg/ml or 1.0 μg/ml, comparable with GH responses to hGHRH1-44. In contrast, the perifusion of chicken pituitary glands with cGHRH-LP had no significant effect on GH release. In summary, these results demonstrate that cGHRH has GH-releasing activity in chickens and support the possibility that it is the endogenous ligand of the cGHRH receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Harvey
- Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada.
| | - C Gineste
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - B D Gaylinn
- Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
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Structural and functional divergence of growth hormone-releasing hormone receptors in early sarcopterygians: lungfish and Xenopus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53482. [PMID: 23308232 PMCID: PMC3537680 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2012] [Accepted: 11/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary trajectories of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) receptor remain enigmatic since the discovery of physiologically functional GHRH-GHRH receptor (GHRHR) in non-mammalian vertebrates in 2007. Interestingly, subsequent studies have described the identification of a GHRHR(2) in chicken in addition to the GHRHR and the closely related paralogous receptor, PACAP-related peptide (PRP) receptor (PRPR). In this article, we provide information, for the first time, on the GHRHR in sarcopterygian fish and amphibians by the cloning and characterization of GHRHRs from lungfish (P. dolloi) and X. laevis. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated structural resemblance of lungfish GHRHR to their mammalian orthologs, while the X. laevis GHRHR showed the highest homology to GHRHR(2) in zebrafish and chicken. Functionally, lungfish GHRHR displayed high affinity towards GHRH in triggering intracellular cAMP and calcium accumulation, while X. laevis GHRHR(2) was able to react with both endogenous GHRH and PRP. Tissue distribution analyses showed that both lungfish GHRHR and X. laevis GHRHR(2) had the highest expression in brain, and interestingly, X. laevis(GHRHR2) also had high abundance in the reproductive organs. These findings, together with previous reports, suggest that early in the Sarcopterygii lineage, GHRHR and PRPR have already established diverged and specific affinities towards their cognate ligands. GHRHR(2), which has only been found in xenopus, zebrafish and chicken hitherto, accommodates both GHRH and PRP.
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7
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Wang Y, Huang G, Li J, Meng F, He X, Leung FC. Characterization of chicken secretin (SCT) and secretin receptor (SCTR) genes: a novel secretin-like peptide (SCT-LP) and secretin encoded in a single gene. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2012; 348:270-80. [PMID: 21939730 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2011.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2011] [Revised: 08/14/2011] [Accepted: 09/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Secretin and the secretin receptor have been reported to play an important role in regulating pancreatic water and bicarbonate secretion in mammals; however, little is known about their expression, structure, and biological functions in non-mammalian vertebrates including birds. In this study, the full-length cDNAs encoding secretin and secretin receptor have first been cloned from duodenum of adult chickens. The putative chicken secretin receptor (cSCTR) is 449 amino acids in length and shares high sequence identity (58-63%) with its mammalian counterparts. Interestingly, chicken secretin cDNA encodes not only the secretin peptide (cSCT), but also a novel secretin-like peptide (cSCT-LP), which shares high amino acid identity with chicken (56%) and mammalian (48-52%) secretin. Using a pGL3-CRE-luciferase reporter system, we further demonstrated that both cSCT (EC(50): 0.31nM) and cSCT-LP (EC(50): 1.10nM), but not other structurally-related peptides, could potently activate cSCTR expressed in CHO cells, suggesting that both peptides may function as potential ligands for cSCTR. Using RT-PCR, the expression of secretin and secretin receptor in adult chicken tissues was also examined. Secretin was detected to be predominantly expressed in small intestine, while the mRNA expression of cSCTR was restricted to several tissues including gastrointestinal tract, liver, testis, pancreas and several brain regions. Collectively, results from present study not only established a molecular basis to elucidate the physiological roles of SCT, SCT-LP and SCTR in chickens, but also provide critical insights into structural and functional changes of secretin and its receptor during vertebrate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, PR China.
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Ellestad LE, Saliba J, Porter TE. Ontogenic characterization of gene expression in the developing neuroendocrine system of the chick. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2011; 171:82-93. [PMID: 21168412 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2010.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2010] [Revised: 12/06/2010] [Accepted: 12/12/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The neuroendocrine system consists of five major hypothalamic-pituitary hormone axes that regulate several important metabolic processes, and it develops in all vertebrates during embryogenesis. In order to define initiation and establishment of these five axes, mRNA expression profiles of hypothalamic releasing and release-inhibiting factors, their pituitary receptors, and pituitary hormones were characterized during the second half of embryogenesis and first week post-hatch in the chick. Axis initiation was defined as the age when pituitary hormone mRNA levels began to increase substantially, and establishment was defined as the age when mRNA for all components had reached maximum expression levels. The adrenocorticotropic axis appears established by e12, as there were no major increases in gene expression after that age. Hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone and pituitary thyroid-stimulating hormone β-subunit increased between e10 and e18, indicating establishment of the thyrotropic axis during this period. Pituitary growth hormone substantially increased on e16, and hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone did not increase until e20, indicating that somatotropic axis activity is established late in embryonic development. Lactotropic axis initiation is evident just prior to hatch, as pituitary prolactin and vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 1 did not increase until e18 and e20, respectively. Hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 increased after hatch, and pituitary luteinizing hormone β-subunit expression remained low until d3, indicating the gonadotropic axis is not fully functional until after hatching. This study is the first to characterize major hypothalamic and pituitary components of all five neuroendocrine axes simultaneously and considerably increases our understanding of neuroendocrine system establishment during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Ellestad
- Molecular and Cell Biology Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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Wang Y, Li J, Wang CY, Kwok AY, Zhang X, Leung FC. Characterization of the receptors for chicken GHRH and GHRH-related peptides: identification of a novel receptor for GHRH and the receptor for GHRH-LP (PRP). Domest Anim Endocrinol 2010; 38:13-31. [PMID: 19748756 DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2009.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2009] [Revised: 07/21/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Growth hormone-releasing hormone and its structurally related peptides, GHRH-like peptide (GHRH-LP) (also called PRP), peptide histidine-isoleucine (PHI), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), have been reported to play important physiological roles in pituitary and extrapituitary tissues of vertebrates; however, little is known about the identity of these GHRH-related peptide receptors in birds. In this study, 6 receptors for GHRH and GHRH-related peptides (cGHRHR(1), cGHRHR(2), cGHRH-LPR, cPAC(1), cVPAC(1), and cVPAC(2)) were cloned from chicken brain or pituitary, and their functionalities were examined in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using a pGL3-CRE-luciferase reporter system. Results showed that: (1) all receptors are G protein-coupled receptors functionally coupled to the intracellular PKA signaling pathway; (2) 2 GHRH receptors (cGHRHR(1) and cGHRHR(2)) were identified, and both receptors could be potently activated by cGHRH; (3) cGHRH-LP could activate its specific receptor cGHRH-LPR (cPRP-R), and it also activated cGHRHR(1) and cGHRHR(2); and (4) PACAP could potently activate its receptors cPAC(1), cVPAC(1) and cVPAC(2); however, cVPAC(1) and cVPAC(2) could also be effectively activated by cVIP and tPHI, indicating that they can serve as VIP receptors and potential PHI receptors. Using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay, we further examined the mRNA expression of these receptors in adult chicken tissues. The expressions of cGHRHR(1), cGHRHR(2), and cGHRH-LPR are restricted mainly to the pituitary and/or brain, whereas cPAC(1), cVPAC(1), and cVPAC(2) are expressed in most of the tissues examined. Collectively, our study identified the receptors for chicken GHRH and GHRH-related peptides, including a novel GHRH receptor (cGHRHR(2)), and established a basis to elucidate the roles of these peptides in target tissues.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- CHO Cells
- Chickens/genetics
- Chickens/metabolism
- Cloning, Molecular
- Cricetinae
- Cricetulus
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide/genetics
- Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide/metabolism
- RNA/chemistry
- RNA/genetics
- Receptors, Neuropeptide/genetics
- Receptors, Neuropeptide/metabolism
- Receptors, Pituitary Hormone-Regulating Hormone/genetics
- Receptors, Pituitary Hormone-Regulating Hormone/metabolism
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, Type II/genetics
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, Type II/metabolism
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, Type I/genetics
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, Type I/metabolism
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary
- Sequence Alignment
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Transfection/veterinary
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, PR China
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10
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Yin Z, Williams-Simons L, Rawahneh L, Asa S, Kirschner LS. Development of a pituitary-specific cre line targeted to the Pit-1 lineage. Genesis 2008; 46:37-42. [PMID: 18196598 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Tissue-specific expression of the Cre recombinase is a well-established genetic tool to analyze gene function in specific tissues and cell types. In this report, we describe the generation of a new transgenic line that expresses Cre under the control of the rat growth hormone releasing hormone receptor (rGhrhr) promoter. This promoter, chosen to target the anterior pituitary, drives cre-mediated recombination in cells of the Pit1 lineage, including somatotrophs, lactotrophs, and thyrotrophs. Cre activity is first detected at embryonic day 13.5, and gradually increases to reach high level expression by postnatal day 2. In addition to the pituitary, rGhrhr-cre expression was detected in vibrissae and in hair follicles of the proximal limb, but not in other tissues. The rGhrhr-cre line will be a valuable tool for the study of the development of the pituitary Pit1 lineage and for the study of tumorigenesis involving these cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhirong Yin
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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11
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Tam JKV, Lee LTO, Chow BKC. PACAP-related peptide (PRP)--molecular evolution and potential functions. Peptides 2007; 28:1920-9. [PMID: 17714829 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2007.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2007] [Revised: 06/21/2007] [Accepted: 07/09/2007] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice K V Tam
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
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12
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Wang Y, Li J, Wang CY, Kwok AHY, Leung FC. Identification of the endogenous ligands for chicken growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) receptor: evidence for a separate gene encoding GHRH in submammalian vertebrates. Endocrinology 2007; 148:2405-16. [PMID: 17272401 DOI: 10.1210/en.2006-1013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
It is generally believed that hypothalamic GHRH activates GHRH receptor (GHRHR) to stimulate GH synthesis and release in the pituitary of mammals. However, the identity of the endogenous ligand of GHRHR is still unresolved in submammalian vertebrates including birds. In this study, we have successfully identified the chicken GHRH (cGHRH) gene, which consists of seven exons including two exons (exons 4 and 5) coding for the predicted mature GHRH peptide of 47 amino acids. Interestingly, the differential usage of splice donor sites at exon 6 results in the generation of two prepro-GHRHs (172 and 188 amino acids in length) with different C-terminal tails. Similar to mammals, cGHRH was detected to be predominantly expressed in the hypothalamus by RT-PCR assay. Using the pGL3-CRE-luciferase reporter system, we further demonstrated that both the synthetic cGHRH peptides (cGHRH(1-47) and cGHRH(1-31)) and conditioned medium from CHO cells expressing cGHRH could strongly induce luciferase activity via activation of cGHRHR, indicating that cGHRH could bind cGHRHR and activate downstream cAMP-protein kinase A signaling pathway. Using the same system, cGHRH-like peptide was also shown to be capable of activating cGHRHR in vitro. As in chicken, a conserved GHRH gene was identified in the genomes of lower vertebrate species including zebrafish, fugu, tetraodon, and Xenopus by synteny analysis. Collectively, our data suggest that GHRH, perhaps together with GHRH-like peptide (chicken/carp-like), may function as the authentic endogenous ligands of GHRHR in chicken as well as in other lower vertebrate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajun Wang
- Department of Zoology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
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