Diuretic and antidiuretic effects of mesotocin as compared with the antidiuretic effect of arginine vasotocin in the hen

Thermoregulatory consequences of growing up during a heatwave or a cold snap in Japanese quail

Changes in environmental temperature during development can affect growth, metabolism and temperature tolerance of the offspring. We know little about whether such changes remain to adulthood, which is important to understand the links between climate change, development and fitness. We investigated whether phenotypic consequences of the thermal environment in early life remained in adulthood in two studies on Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Birds were raised under simulated heatwave, cold snap or control conditions, from hatching until halfway through the growth period, and then in common garden conditions until reproductively mature. We measured biometric and thermoregulatory [metabolic heat production (MHP), evaporative water and heat loss (EWL, EHL) and body temperature] responses to variation in submaximal air temperature at the end of the thermal acclimation period and in adulthood. Warm birds had lower MHP than control birds at the end of the thermal acclimation period and, in the warmest temperature studied (40°C), also had higher evaporative cooling capacity compared with controls. No analogous responses were recorded in cold birds, although they had higher EWL than controls in all but the highest test temperature. None of the effects found at the end of the heatwave or cold snap period remained until adulthood. This implies that chicks exposed to higher temperatures could be more prepared to counter heat stress as juveniles but that they do not enjoy any advantages of such developmental conditions when facing high temperatures as adults. Conversely, cold temperature does not seem to confer any priming effects in adolescence.

Regulation of the avian kidney by arginine vasotocin

Nonapeptides secreted by the neurohypophysis have important roles in vertebrate cardio-fluid homeostasis. In birds, those peptides include mesotocin (the representative of the neutral, or oxytocin-like, nonapeptide family) and vasotocin (the representative of the basic, or vasopressin-like, hormones). The function of mesotocin is not well defined, but it does appear to have osmoregulatory functions. Vasotocin is considered the primary avian antidiuretic hormone. Receptors for AVT in avian kidney-either on renal vasculature or on the tubules-have yet to be localized or identified. However, AVT quite certainly effects antidiuresis via both vascular and tubular mechanisms. The former entail a reduction in the rate of glomerular filtration, apparently via constriction of afferent arterioles. Evidence for the latter (direct tubular action of AVT) has accumulated in recent years and includes enhanced fractional tubular water reabsorption, activation of second messenger (cAMP) in thick ascending limbs and collecting ducts, and modest AVT-stimulated water permeability in collecting ducts associated with expression of aquaporins. The relative importance of the renal vascular vs. tubular actions in birds likely depend on the dose of the hormone, the physiological condition of the animal, and the species of bird.

Molecular cloning of an oxytocin-like receptor expressed in the chicken shell gland

The avian homologs of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) are arginine vasotocin (AVT) and mesotocin (MT), respectively. In birds, AVT shares many of the functions of AVP including regulation of fluid balance, blood pressure regulation and the stress response. AVT also plays an oxytocin-like reproductive role in birds by stimulating uterine (shell gland) contraction during oviposition. The role of MT in avian reproduction is not clear. Here, we report the cloning of a third neuropeptide receptor in the chicken (Gallus gallus). Parsimony analysis reveals that the new receptor has highest homology to mammalian OT receptors and the MT receptors of non-mammalian vertebrates. Moreover, the receptor bears far less homology to the two avian VT receptors that have been cloned. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and in in situ hybridization analyses reveal the receptor is expressed in both the endometrium and myometrium of the shell gland. The expression pattern and high homology to OT receptors suggest that the receptor may stimulate myometrial contraction and therefore play a critical role in oviposition.

The cloned avian neurohypophysial hormone receptors

Arginine vasotocin (AVT), a neurohypophysial hormone, has many essential functions in birds including the regulation of salt and fluid balance, blood pressure, the stress response and a variety of behaviors. In addition, AVT controls reproductive functions in birds that are served by oxytocin in mammals. In the following review, we examine the functions of AVT in birds with an emphasis on the present state of knowledge concerning the cloned receptors for this important hormone. Receptor and gene structure, signal transduction mechanisms and expression pattern are all discussed. Finally, we explore the phylogenetic relationships between the cloned avian receptors and other vertebrate and invertebrate neurohypophysial hormone receptors.

Mesotocin receptor binding of cortical and medullary kidney tissues of the hen

[125I]Mesotocin (MT) binding of membrane fractions of the cortical tissue and the medullary tissue (medullary cone) of the kidney of nonlaying hens was measured by the use of radioligand binding assays to determine the distribution of two distinct MT receptors within the hen kidney. The binding to [125I]MT in the medullary tissue was found to be highly competitive with unlabeled MT. In the cortical tissue, the binding was competitive with both unlabeled MT and arginine vasotocin. Kinetic and Scatchard analyses of specific binding revealed that the binding affinity was higher in the cortical tissue than in the medullary tissue, but the binding capacity was less in the cortical tissue. The localization of two distinct MT receptor having different binding properties may be related to the biphasic action of MT within the tissue of the kidney of the hen.

Mesotocin binding to receptors in hen kidney plasma membranes

Radioligand assays were performed to demonstrate the presence of a receptor for mesotocin (MT) in the membrane fractions of the kidney of the hen. Specific [125I]MT bindings were decreased by the presence of Mg2+ and Ca2+, increased by the presence of EDTA, increased during the first 4 h of incubation and then reached a plateau, and increased with the increase in the protein concentration from 2.5 to 20 micrograms. The membrane fraction showed binding specificity to [125I]MT. The Scatchard plot revealed a curvilinear profile that indicated the presence of two classes of binding sites: a high affinity site and a low affinity site. The equilibrium dissociation constant was 0.08 +/- 0.01 nM (mean +/- SEM; n = 5) in the high affinity site and 0.87 +/- 0.08 nM (n = 5) in the low affinity site. The maximum binding capacity of the high and low affinity sites was 42 +/- 4 and 129 +/- 6 fmol/mg protein, respectively. The results suggest the presence of two distinct MT receptors in the kidney of the hen.