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Biomedical subjects

A Dutour

Publications and source records attributed to A Dutour.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Ontogeny of prolyl endopeptidase, pyroglutamyl peptidase I, TRH, and its metabolites in rat pancreas.

We demonstrate that two enzymes, soluble unspecific pyroglutamyl peptidase I and prolyl endopeptidase, able to degrade thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in vitro were present in pancreas at the early stage of rat development. Specific particulate pyroglutamyl peptidase II remained undetectable during ontogenesis. Pyroglutamyl peptidase I specific activity increased until day 3 and decreased after day 5. Furthermore, prolyl endopeptidase specific activity rose slightly to a peak on postnatal day 20. A good correlation between immunoreactive TRH and deaminated TRH (TRH-OH) was found in the 1st wk after birth. However, His-Pro diketopiperazine (DKP) levels were stable and low during development. We show that hot acidic extraction conditions could artefactually generate His-Pro DKP. In vivo, active site-directed inhibitors of pyroglutamyl peptidase I and prolyl endopeptidase enzymes do not show any TRH-deamidating and/or pyroglutamyl peptidase I pathways in neonatal rat pancreas. The data suggest that these two enzymes are not involved in intra- or extracellular control of TRH levels in neonatal rat pancreas and that pancreatic TRH content appears to be principally regulated by biosynthetic steps. Nevertheless, low levels of endogenous His-Pro DKP and TRH-OH identified in neonatal rat pancreas suggest that TRH or TRH-like peptides may be metabolized in this tissue in intact rats, albeit at low rates.

Aging

Evidence for pyroglutamyl peptidase I and prolyl endopeptidase activities in the rat insulinoma cell line RINm 5F: lack of relationship with TRH metabolism.

Thyrotropin-Releasing hormone (TRH)-degrading pyroglutamyl peptidase I (PGP I) and prolylendopeptidase (PE) activities have been demonstrated in rat insulinoma RINm 5F cell line. These two enzymes catalyze the conversion of TRH to Histydyl-Proline-Diketopiperazine and to acid TRH respectively. After cell fractionation, we found all the PGP I and PE activities in the cytosolic fraction. The membrane-bound PGP II activity is not detectable in the RINm 5F cells. Further investigations on these two cytosolic enzymes show that pyroglutamyl- and proline-containing peptides are inhibitors of each TRH-degrading enzyme. Gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G100 shows that PGP I and PE activity have an apparent molecular mass of about 18 kDa and 57 kDa, respectively. Kinetic analysis with TRH as substrate, gives a Km of 44 microM and 235 microM, and a Vmax of 1.49 and 8.80 pmol/min/micrograms protein for PGP I and PE, respectively. Immunoreactive TRH, His-Pro-Diketopiperazine and acid TRH levels in the cell line extracts are 2.2 +/- 0.9, 22.5 +/- 11.1 and 28.7 +/- 14.6 pg/1O6 cells, respectively. When cells have been incubated for 2 to 72 hours with a P.E. inhibitor (Z-Gly-Pro-CHN2) at 5 x 10(-7) M, both cell PGP I and PE activities are inhibited. No change in the cellular content of immunoreactive TRH, His-Pro-Diketopiperazine and acid TRH have been observed in treated cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenoma, Islet Cell

Thyroliberin (TRH) and TRH free acid (TRH-OH) present in milk do not originate from local synthesis in mammary gland.

UNLABELLED: Hypothalamic hormones represent a peculiar group of hormones present in milk in surprisingly high concentrations. High levels of these neuropeptides raised the question of their origin. The hypothesis suggesting local synthesis of TRH in the mammary gland was, therefore, tested. Acid extracts of human milk contained TRH and TRH-OH immunoreactivity. RIA determinations at various purification steps revealed that only a part of the immunoreactivity may represent authentic peptides. No high molecular weight TRH precursor could be demonstrated upon a sequential enzymatic treatment of human milk and rat mammary gland extracts. Exploration of rat mammary gland tissue for TRH mRNA showed that the TRH gene is not expressed in the mammary gland. Rat mammary gland homogenates were able to deamidate exogenous TRH to TRH-OH. CONCLUSION: TRH is not synthesized in the mammary gland via a high molecular weight precursor. It is likely that the TRH-free acid in milk (demonstrated for the first time in this product) originates from TRH deamidation in mammary gland cells during TRH transport from the blood.

Breast

[Infectious complications of the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children].

The authors report the infectious complications observed during the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 70 children, followed by a same team, with the same protocole, for a period of 6 years (mean follow-up: 42.3 months). The complications were mainly bacterial during induction phase, mainly staphylococcic the microbiological follow-up and a rapid empiric antibiotic therapy allowed to control more than 80% of the febrile episodes. There was one death from fulminant pyocyanic infection.

Adolescent

Thyrotropin releasing hormone in the pancreas of newborn rats from streptozotocin-treated mothers.

The effect of maternal diabetes (induced by i.p. injections of 40-50 mg/kg BW Streptozotocin on the day of mating) on TRH in the pancreas of newborn rats was studied. Determination of peptide alpha amidation activity and TRH precursor level on the day of birth revealed decreased biosynthesis of TRH resulting in profoundly (10 times) lower pancreatic TRH and TRH-OH concentrations in pups of diabetic rats. Pancreatic His-Pro-diketopiperazine (His-Pro-DKP) remained unaffected by maternal diabetes. The depression of pancreatic TRH was less profound 24 h later, and even elevated TRH was measured in the pancreas of pups of diabetic mothers on postnatal day 5. Short term postnatal starvation or nursing of intact pups by the diabetic foster mother did not affect pancreatic TRH. It could be postulated that postnatal TRH development in the rat pancreas is retarded by maternal diabetes, while His-Pro-DKP remains unaltered.

Aging

Ontogenesis of TRH mRNA in the rat pancreas.

The rapid changes in TRH levels in the rat pancreas during the neonatal period make this organ an interesting model for the study of the regulation of TRH biosynthesis. Pancreatic RNAs were isolated by the guanidinium thiocyanate method and layered onto CsCl cushion. Northern blot preparations were hybridized with 32P labeled TRH cDNA probe. Pancreatic TRH mRNA was first detected in 19-day old fetuses and reached the highest level on day 0, then decreased, being barely detectable 14 days after birth. The neonatal injection of streptozotocin induced a dramatic drop of TRH mRNA levels 24 hours later. This result suggests that the peculiar evolution of TRH level in pancreas is partly due to the evolution of the expression of the TRH gene.

Animals

Evidence for high peptide alpha-amidating activity in the pancrease from neonatal rats.

A high peptidylglycine alpha-amidating mono-oxygenase (PAMase) activity has been measured in the pancreas of neonatal rats. A significant fraction of this activity is contained in the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans and is colocalized with thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and its precursor in secretory granules. The ontogenetic variation of PAMase activity in the pancrease parallels that of TRH concentrations, suggesting that this enzymatic activity is directly related to TRH biosynthesis. In addition, PAMase activity is able to generate TRH when incubated with less than Glu-His-Pro-Gly, a tetrapeptide present as a repetitive sequence in the TRH precursor. The perinatal evolution of the TRH precursor levels in the pancreas is similar to that of PAMase activity (unpublished results). Thus, the neonatal rat pancreas offers an endocrine model in which the levels of a neuropeptide precursor and an enzyme activity, involved in the posttranslational modification of this precursor, are similarly regulated. Our results suggest also that a fraction of PAMase activity may be produced outside of the beta cells and related to the biosynthesis of COOH-terminally amidated peptide(s) other than TRH. The ontogenetic changes in PAMase activity imply that the synthesis of this peptide(s) is high during the neonatal period, decreasing thereafter.

Aging

[Methods of hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal blood collection].

It is possible to assay hypothalamic factors in hypophysial portal blood from several species. However, hypophysial portal blood collection must be performed after anesthesia and surgical stress which can both modify the regulation of hypothalamo-pituitary secretion. However, this method has allowed some progress in our knowledge of the hypothalamic control of pituitary secretion. The methodology, advantages and limits of hypophysial portal blood collection are briefly described in this review.

Animals

Evidence for high peptide alpha-amidation activity in the neonatal rat pancreas.

A high peptide alpha-amidating activity is present in a mitochondrial/secretory granules preparation from 3-day old rat pancreas. It is dependent on copper, ascorbate and molecular oxygen. This preparation is able to generate TRH when incubated with Pyroglu-His-Pro-Gly, a sequence present in the TRH precursor molecular. The peptide alpha-amidating activity may be involved in the high rate of TRH biosynthesis in the pancreas during the neonatal period. In the pancreas of adult rats which contain low levels of TRH, the peptide alpha-amidating activity is barely detectable.

Amidohydrolases

[Somatostatin and regulation of the secretion of growth hormone].

GH secretory bursts are due to the combination of a pulsatile GRF release and a decreased Somatostatin secretion in hypophysial portal blood. In the intermediary periods, low plasma GH levels depend on the tonic release of hypothalamic Somatostatin. Experimental studies suggest that alterations in hypothalamic Somatostatin are involved in changes of GH secretion observed under physiological (foetal life, aging, stress), pharmacological (beta-blocking agents) and physiopathological conditions (starvation, obesity, diabetes). The Somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 induces a long-lasting inhibition of GH secretion and may be useful in the treatment of acromegalic patients.

Animals

[Demonstration of a TRH precursor in the pancreas of the newborn rat].

This study allows the indirect demonstration of a precursor for TRH in pancreatic extracts of 2-days old rats. The sequential treatment of these extracts with trypsin and carboxypeptidase A is followed by a large increase in Pyroglutamyl Histidine Proline (TRH-OH). The molecular weight of the protein that gives rise to TRH-OH after enzymatic treatment ranges between 30,000 and 40,000 daltons. During ontogenesis. TRH levels decrease earlier and more rapidly than that of TRH-precursor levels. These data suggest that changes in the processing of TRH-precursor play a role in the diminution of TRH concentrations that is observed during the first two weeks of life.

Animals