Biogenic amines and emotion

The studies discussed here have shown a fairly consistent relationship between the effects of drugs on biogenic amines, particularly norepinephrine, and affective or behavioral states. Those drugs which cause depletion and inactivation of norepinephrine centrally produce sedation or depression, while drugs which increase or potentiate brain norepinephrine are associated with behavioral stimulation or excitement and generally have an antidepressant effect in man (Table 1). From these findings, a number of investigators have formulated the concept, designated the catecholamine hypothesis of affective disorders (6), that some, if not all, depressions may be associated with a relative deficiency of norepinephrine at functionally important adrenergic receptor sites in the brain, whereas elations may be associated with an excess of such amines. It is not possible either to confirm or to reject this hypothesis on the basis of currently available clinical data. Although there does appear to be a fairly consistent relationship between the effects of pharmacological agents on norepinephrine metabolism and on affective state, a rigorous extrapolation from pharmacological studies to pathophysiology cannot be made. Confirmation of this hypothesis must ultimately depend upon direct demonstration of the biochemical abnormality in the naturally occurring illness. It should be emphasized, however, that the demonstration of such a biochemical abnormality would not necessarily imply a genetic or constitutional, rather than an environmental or psychological, etiology of depression.Whereas specific genetic factors may be of importance in the etiology of some, and possibly all, depressions, it is equally conceivable that early experiences of the infant or child may cause enduring biochemical changes and that these may predispose some individuals to depressions in adulthood. It is not likely that changes in the metabolism of the biogenic amines alone will account for the complex phenomena of normal or pathological affect.Whereas the effects of these amines at particular sites in the brain may be of crucial importance in the regulation of affect, any comprehensive formulation of the physiology of affective state will have to include many other concomitant biochemical, physiological, and psychological factors. Although in this review of the relationship of biogenic amines to affective state relatively little has been said concerning the intricate set of environmental and psychological determinants of emotion, the importance of these factors must be stressed. The normally occurring alterations in affective state induced by environmental events is well known to all, from personal experience. The interactions between such environmental determinants of affect, various physiological factors, and the complexity of psychological determinants, including cognitive factors derived from the individual's remote and immediate past experiences, have received only limited study under adequately controlled conditions. It may be anticipated, however, that this will prove to be a particularly fruitful area for future research, for only within such a multifactorial framework may one expect to understand fully the relationship of the biogenic amines to emotional state.     

Melanophore stimulating hormone: release inhibition by ring structures of neurohypophysial hormones

Tocinamide and tocinoic acid, ring structures of oxytocin, are potent inhibitors of the release of melanophore stimulating hormone from the rat and hamster pituitary in vitro. Tocinamide is effective at concentrations as low as 10-(14)M on the mammalian pituitary. These peptides do not affect release of the hormone on the frog (Rana pipiens) pars intermedia, but they do inhibit release in the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and the toad (Bufo marinus). The specificity of the peptides on inhibition of the hormone is demonstrated by the fact that oxytocin, lysine vasopressin, and pressinoic acid and pressinamide (ring structures of the vasopressins) do not show such inhibitory activity. Hypothalamic extracts of either the frog (Rana pipiens) or the rat inhibit release of the hormone from pituitaries of either species. The inhibitory effects of tocinamide and tocinoic acid, like that of hypothalamic extracts, are reversible.     

卵泡刺激素研究进展

卵泡刺激素 (促卵泡激素 ,FSH)是由动物垂体前叶嗜碱性细胞合成和分泌的一种糖蛋白类促进腺激素 ,在动物 (包括人类 )的繁殖过程中起重要作用。文章扼要介绍了卵泡刺激素的作用机制、基因结构及重组 FSH的研究情况 ,为卵泡刺激素研究奠定基础     

Antipyretic potency of centrally administered alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone

Centrally administered alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone is much more potent in reducing fever than the widely used antipyretic acetaminophen. This finding supports the hypothesis that the endogenous neuropeptide has a role in the limitation of fever and suggests that it may be clinically useful as an antipyretic.     

文昌鸡促卵泡素受体基因多态性分析

以促卵泡素受体(FSHR)基因作为影响鸡繁殖性状的候选基因,采用PCR-SSCP技术结合测序对编码FSHR胞外区部分的第1外显子(exon1)至第9外显子(exon9)共9个外显子区域进行单核苷酸多态性(SNPs)分析,寻找与鸡繁殖性能相关的遗传标记,为高繁殖力的标记辅助选择提供科学依据。结果表明:在exon2、exon4、exon6、exon8区域存在SNPs位点,分别在exon2片段中编码区5′端-49 bp处的C→T突变;exon4片段中编码区43 bp处的T→C突变,但未引起氨基酸的改变;exon6片段中编码区3′端+12 bp处的A→G突变;距exon8编码区3′端+38 bp处的G→T突变。经适合性检验,各基因的基因频率在群体内的分布均处于Hardy-Weinberg平衡状态(P0.05)。FSHR是促卵泡素的特异性受体,这些位点的多态为进一步研究FSHR基因多态性对文昌鸡繁殖性能的遗传效应奠定了基础。     

Ovulation in hamster: induction by subunit of ovine interstitial cell stimulating hormone

As little as 5 micrograms of interstitial cell stimulating hormone (ICSH) or 20 micrograms of ICSH-beta is effective for the induction of ovulation in 100 percent of hamsters treated at 0500 hours on day 4 after lordosis, whereas as much as 800 micrograms of ICSH-alpha is ineffective. Both ICSH and ICSH-beta are also effective for induction of ovulation in hypophysectomized animals. Thus, the ovulation-inducing activity of the ICSH molecule resides in its beta subunit.     

Hormonal control of behavior: amines and the biasing of behavioral output in lobsters

Hormones and neurohormones act on the nervous system to produce important changes in behavior. Amine actions in the lobster nervous system and their possible relations to aggressive behavior in lobsters were studied in order to explore how such changes might come about.     

Human growth hormone release: relation to slow-wave sleep and sleep-walking cycles

Release of human growth hormone during sleep is significantly related to slow, synchronized stages of sleep and therefore would seem to be controlled by related neural mechanisms. When sleep-waking cycles are reversed by 12 hours, the release of growth hormone with sleep is reversed; thus release does not follow an inherent circadian rhythm independent of sleep.     

Prostaglandin involvement in hypothalamic control of gonadotropin and prolactin release

Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) injected into the third ventricle of ovariectomized rats increased plasma luteinizing hormone dramatically and follicle stimulating hormone slightly. PGE(1) elevated prolactin; PGF(1alpha) or PGF(2alpha) had no effect. PGE(2) or PGE(1) injected directly into the anterior pituitary were ineffective. These results suggest that specific prostaglandins act at the hypothalamus to control pituitary hormone release.     

环境激素污染现状的研究及防治措施

主要论述了环境激素物质的污染特点、种类及对生物的危害，并提出了几点防治措施。     

山羊促甲状腺素β亚基基因(TSHB) cDNA克隆 与组织表达研究

促甲状腺素β亚基基因(TSHB)主要表达于动物垂体腺,其表达受到光照周期调控并且与动物季节性繁殖活动密切相关.本实验以济宁青山羊和辽宁绒山羊为研究对象,运用RT-PCR方法克隆获得山羊TSHB基因部分cDNA序列(GenBank No.:JQ937288),并使用RT-PCR与荧光定量PCR技术检测TSHB基因在济宁青山羊与辽宁绒山羊下丘脑-垂体-卵巢繁殖轴及其他组织的表达分布情况.结果表明,山羊TSHB基因编码区417bp,编码含有138个氨基酸的蛋白质;各哺乳动物间TSHB基因高度保守,山羊与绵羊、牛TSHB基因同源性最高,达99％;另外,两品种山羊TSHB基因均在垂体中高表达,在济宁青山羊下丘脑、卵巢及海马等组织低度表达,而在辽宁绒山羊下丘脑低度表达,两品种其他组织均没有表达.非繁殖季节济宁青山羊垂体TSHB基因表达水平是辽宁绒山羊的1.6倍(P=0.061),其对季节性繁殖的调控功能值得进一步研究.本研究首次对山羊TSHB基因cDNA序列进行了克隆和表达分析,研究结果对山羊繁殖调控具有重要意义.     

Progesterone administration in vivo stimulates release of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in vitro

The release of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) from tissue from the mediobasal hypothalamic-anterior hypothalamic-preoptic area of prepuberal female rats was measured in a perfusion system. Measurements were also made of the concentrations of LHRH in these tissue fragments and of luteinizing hormone in serum obtained when the rats were killed. Four groups of immature rats were studied: intact, ovariectomized, ovariectomized and implanted with estradiol-containing capsules, and ovariectomized rats primed with estradiol and injected with progesterone. The release of LHRH from the tissue of ovariectomized animals was significantly less than that of intact females and was not modified when the ovariectomized rats received estradiol. However, there was a four- to fivefold increase in LHRH release from tissue of ovariectomized rats primed with estradiol when they were killed 6 hours after they received an injection of progesterone. The concentrations of LHRH in tissue and of luteinizing hormone in serum varied among groups and with the time of day that the animals were killed. The interactions among luteinizing hormone, gonadal steroids, and the photoperiod seem to set the appropriate conditions for neural processes triggering a complete and normal release of luteinizing hormone.     

Prolactin and growth hormone release by morphine in the rat: different receptor mechanisms

Concentrations of prolactin and growth hormone in the serum of rats were significantly increased by morphine. Dose response studies demonstrated that maximum prolactin release required lower doses of morphine than those needed for the maximum growth hormone response. Selective blockade of mu 1 (high affinity) opiate receptor with the irreversible antagonist naloxazone reduced morphine-induced peak concentrations of prolactin by 80 percent while increasing peak growth hormone levels by 250 percent. These results suggest different receptor mechanisms for the opiate modulation of the two hormones. The mu 1 (high affinity) receptor sites appear to mediate the morphine-induced release of prolactin but not growth hormone.     

Involvement of juvenile hormone in the regulation of pheromone release activities in a moth

Juvenile hormone has been implicated in the mediation of several reproduction-related events in adult insects, but had previously been found to play no role in the regulation of sex pheromone production and release behavior ("calling") in moths. In females of the true armyworm moth, Pseudaletia unipuncta, juvenile hormone is shown to be essential to the initiation of both calling behavior and pheromone production. Females without corpora allata, the source of juvenile hormone, do not call and do not produce pheromone, but injection of juvenile hormone into allatectomized females restored these activities. The armyworm's control system has likely evolved in response to the adults' migratory behavior which may necessitate that mating be restricted to the period following migration.     

Pineal vasotocin: release into cat cerebrospinal fluid by melanocyte-stimulating hormone release-inhibiting factor

The intracarotid injection of both synthetic melanocyte-stimulating hormone release-inhibiting factor (MIF) and purified MIF prepared from bovine hypothalami induces arginine vasotocin release into cerebrospinal fluid of cats and significantly decreases the pineal arginine vasotocin content at 5 minutes after the injection. The present results demonstrate an extrapituitary endocrine effect of synthetic and purified bovine MIF.     

腐乳中产生物胺菌株的筛选鉴定及产生物胺能力评价

为筛选腐乳样品中产生物胺的菌株,以24种市售腐乳样品为研究对象,通过生物胺初筛培养基显色反应进行初筛,再采用高效液相色谱(HPLC)定量分析其产胺能力,获得61株具有氨基酸脱羧酶活性的菌株。选取产生物胺总量较高的20株菌,经16S rDNA分析,这20株菌均为芽孢杆菌属,其中包括6株枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)、5株巨大芽孢杆菌(Bacillus megaterium)、3株长形赖氨酸芽胞杆菌(Lysinibacillus macrolides)、2株蜡样芽孢杆菌(Bacillus cereus)和4株热带芽孢杆菌(Bacillus tropicus)。还分析了温度、氨基酸浓度、NaCl浓度、乙醇浓度、pH值对产胺量较高的枯草芽孢杆菌和热带芽孢杆菌产胺能力的影响。结果表明:NaCl浓度8%和乙醇浓度10%对生物胺的合成有显著的抑制作用,可应用于腐乳生产中,能有效控制腐乳中生物胺的含量。     

Inhibin-mediated feedback control of follicle-stimulating hormone secretion in the female rat

The secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) by the anterior pituitary gland is regulated by the interaction of hypothalamic and gonadal hormones. Recently, proteins termed inhibins that selectively suppress FSH secretion have been purified and characterized from the gonadal fluids of several species. Antibodies to a synthetic peptide encompassing the amino terminal 25 residues of the recently characterized porcine inhibin were used to develop a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for inhibin and to neutralize endogenous inhibin during the estrous cycle of the rat. The administration of 20 international units of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) stimulated the secretion of inhibin in intact immature female rats, whereas ovariectomy caused an abrupt decrease in plasma inhibin concentrations that were not prevented by the injection of PMSG. The infusion of a polyclonal antiserum to inhibin, from 12 noon on proestrus to 1 a.m. on the morning of estrus, as well as its acute intravenous injection during diestrus I or II, caused an increase in plasma FSH (but not luteinizing hormone) concentrations. These results support the hypothesis of a feedback loop between the release of ovarian inhibin and FSH in the female rat.