The individual contributions of, and potential interactions between, the renin-angiotensin system... more The individual contributions of, and potential interactions between, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and the humoral adrenergic stress response to blood pressure regulation were examined in rainbow trout. Intravenous injection of the smooth muscle relaxant, papaverine (10 mg/kg), elicited a transient decrease in dorsal aortic blood pressure (PDA) and systemic vascular resistance (RS), and significant increases in plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) and catecholamine concentrations. Blockade of alpha-adrenoceptors before papaverine treatment prevented PDA and RS recovery, had no effect on the increase in plasma catecholamines, and resulted in greater plasma Ang II concentrations. Administration of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, lisinopril (10(-4) mol/kg), before papaverine treatment attenuated the increases in the plasma concentrations of Ang II, adrenaline, and noradrenaline by 90, 79, and 40%, respectively and also prevented PDA and RS recovery. By itself, lisinopril tr...
Motilin, produced in endocrine cells in the mucosa of the upper intestine, is an important regula... more Motilin, produced in endocrine cells in the mucosa of the upper intestine, is an important regulator of gastrointestinal (GI) motility and mediates the phase III of interdigestive migrating motor complex (MMC) in the stomach of humans, dogs and house musk shrews through the specific motilin receptor (MLN-R). Motilin-induced MMC contributes to the maintenance of normal GI functions and transmits a hunger signal from the stomach to the brain. Motilin has been identified in various mammals, but the physiological roles of motilin in regulating GI motility in these mammals are well not understood due to inconsistencies between studies conducted on different species using a range of experimental conditions. Motilin orthologs have been identified in non-mammalian vertebrates, and the sequence of avian motilin is relatively close to that of mammals, but reptile, amphibian and fish motilins show distinctive different sequences. The MLN-R has also been identified in mammals and non-mammalian ...
Thirst aroused in the forebrain by angiotensin II (AngII) or buccal drying motivates terrestrial ... more Thirst aroused in the forebrain by angiotensin II (AngII) or buccal drying motivates terrestrial vertebrates to search for water, whereas aquatic fish can drink surrounding water only by reflex swallowing generated in the hindbrain. Indeed, AngII induces drinking through the hindbrain even after removal of the whole forebrain in aquatic fish. Here we show that AngII induces thirst also in the amphibious mudskipper goby without direct action on the forebrain, but through buccal drying. Intracerebroventricular injection of AngII motivated mudskippers to move into water and drink as with tetrapods. However, AngII primarily increased immunoreactive c-Fos at the hindbrain swallowing center where AngII receptors were expressed, as in other ray-finned fish, and such direct action on the forebrain was not found. Behavioural analyses showed that loss of buccal water on land by AngII-induced swallowing, by piercing holes in the opercula, or by water-absorptive gel placed in the cavity motivat...
The discovery of neuropeptides provides insights into the regulation of physiological processes. ... more The discovery of neuropeptides provides insights into the regulation of physiological processes. The precursor for the neuropeptide neuromedin U contains multiple consensus sequences for proteolytic processing, suggesting that this precursor might generate additional peptides. We performed immunoaffinity chromatography of rat brain extracts and consequently identified such a product, which we designated neuromedin U precursor-related peptide (NURP). In rat brain, NURP was present as two mature peptides of 33 and 36 residues. Radioimmunoassays revealed NURP immunoreactivity in the pituitary, small intestine, and brain of rats, with the most intense reactivity in the pituitary. Intracerebroventricular administration of NURP to both male and female rats robustly increased plasma concentrations of prolactin but not of other anterior pituitary hormones. In contrast, NURP failed to stimulate prolactin release from dispersed anterior pituitary cells. Pretreatment of rats with bromocriptine...
Ghrelin has been identified in vertebrates from fish to mammals, and it has multiple biological a... more Ghrelin has been identified in vertebrates from fish to mammals, and it has multiple biological activities including gastrointestinal (GI) motor-stimulating action. In some non-mammalian vertebrates, we examined the effects of ghrelin on contractility of the isolated GI tract as well as the mRNA expression of growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) to determine whether the motor-stimulating action of ghrelin is common in vertebrates. The expression level of GHS-R1a mRNA differed depending on the species and on the GI region (stomach, small intestine, and colon). GI region-dependent expression of GHS-R1a mRNA was remarkable in chickens, and the expression levels changed depending on age. In a functional study, ghrelin did not cause contraction of unstimulated GI strips in fish (goldfish and rainbow trout) or amphibians (bullfrog and Japanese fire belly newts) even using their homologous ghrelin. In avian species, ghrelin caused contraction of the unstimulated GI tract of th...
General and comparative endocrinology, Jun 15, 2015
Ghrelin has been identified in some amphibians and is known to stimulate growth hormone release a... more Ghrelin has been identified in some amphibians and is known to stimulate growth hormone release and food intake as seen in mammals. Ghrelin regulates gastrointestinal motility in mammals and birds. The aim of this study was to determine whether ghrelin affects gastrointestinal smooth muscle contractility in bullfrogs (anuran) and Japanese fire belly newts (urodelian) in vitro. Neither bullfrog ghrelin nor rat ghrelin affected longitudinal smooth muscle contractility of gastrointestinal strips from the bullfrog. Expression of growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) mRNA was confirmed in the bullfrog gastrointestinal tract, and the expression level in the gastric mucosa was lower than that in the intestinal mucosa. In contrast, some gastrointestinal peptides, including substance P, neurotensin and motilin, and the muscarinic receptor agonist carbachol showed marked contraction, indicating normality of the smooth muscle preparations. Similar results were obtained in another a...
To determine mechanisms for age-related decrease of GHS-R1a expression in the chicken proventricu... more To determine mechanisms for age-related decrease of GHS-R1a expression in the chicken proventriculus, changes in mRNA expression of ghrelin and ghrelin-O-acetyltransferase (GOAT) as well as ghrelin concentrations in the proventriculus and plasma were examined in growing chickens. Changes in expression levels of ghrelin, GOAT and GHS-R1a mRNAs were also examined in different brain regions (pituitary, hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, olfactory bulb, midbrain and medulla oblongata). Ghrelin concentrations in the proventriculus and plasma increased with aging and reached plateaus at 30-50 days after hatching. High level of ghrelin mRNA decreased at 3 days after hatching, and it became stable at half of the initial level. Expression levels of GHS-R1a and GOAT decreased 3 or 5 days after hatching and became stable at low levels. Significant negative correlations were found between plasma ghrelin and mRNA levels of GOAT and GHS-R1a. Expression levels of ghrelin mRNA wer...
We have identified cDNA encoding a functional growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a (GHS-R1a, g... more We have identified cDNA encoding a functional growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a (GHS-R1a, ghrelin receptor) in two species of anuran amphibian, the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), and the Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica). Deduced receptor protein for bullfrog and Japanese tree frog (tree frog) was comprised of 374- and 371-amino acids, respectively. The two receptors shared 86% identity, and are grouped to the clade of the tetrapod homologs by phylogenetic analysis. In functional analyses, ghrelin and GHS-R1a agonists increased intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in GHS-R1a-transfected-HEK293 cell, but ligand selectivity of ghrelin with Ser(3) and Thr(3) was not observed between the two receptors. Bullfrog GHS-R1a mRNA was mainly expressed in the brain, stomach, and testis. In the brain, the gene expression was detected in the diencephalon and mesencephalon, but not in the pituitary. Tree frog GHS-R1a mRNA was predominantly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and ovary, but ...
The individual contributions of, and potential interactions between, the renin-angiotensin system... more The individual contributions of, and potential interactions between, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and the humoral adrenergic stress response to blood pressure regulation were examined in rainbow trout. Intravenous injection of the smooth muscle relaxant, papaverine (10 mg/kg), elicited a transient decrease in dorsal aortic blood pressure (PDA) and systemic vascular resistance (RS), and significant increases in plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) and catecholamine concentrations. Blockade of alpha-adrenoceptors before papaverine treatment prevented PDA and RS recovery, had no effect on the increase in plasma catecholamines, and resulted in greater plasma Ang II concentrations. Administration of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, lisinopril (10(-4) mol/kg), before papaverine treatment attenuated the increases in the plasma concentrations of Ang II, adrenaline, and noradrenaline by 90, 79, and 40%, respectively and also prevented PDA and RS recovery. By itself, lisinopril tr...
Motilin, produced in endocrine cells in the mucosa of the upper intestine, is an important regula... more Motilin, produced in endocrine cells in the mucosa of the upper intestine, is an important regulator of gastrointestinal (GI) motility and mediates the phase III of interdigestive migrating motor complex (MMC) in the stomach of humans, dogs and house musk shrews through the specific motilin receptor (MLN-R). Motilin-induced MMC contributes to the maintenance of normal GI functions and transmits a hunger signal from the stomach to the brain. Motilin has been identified in various mammals, but the physiological roles of motilin in regulating GI motility in these mammals are well not understood due to inconsistencies between studies conducted on different species using a range of experimental conditions. Motilin orthologs have been identified in non-mammalian vertebrates, and the sequence of avian motilin is relatively close to that of mammals, but reptile, amphibian and fish motilins show distinctive different sequences. The MLN-R has also been identified in mammals and non-mammalian ...
Thirst aroused in the forebrain by angiotensin II (AngII) or buccal drying motivates terrestrial ... more Thirst aroused in the forebrain by angiotensin II (AngII) or buccal drying motivates terrestrial vertebrates to search for water, whereas aquatic fish can drink surrounding water only by reflex swallowing generated in the hindbrain. Indeed, AngII induces drinking through the hindbrain even after removal of the whole forebrain in aquatic fish. Here we show that AngII induces thirst also in the amphibious mudskipper goby without direct action on the forebrain, but through buccal drying. Intracerebroventricular injection of AngII motivated mudskippers to move into water and drink as with tetrapods. However, AngII primarily increased immunoreactive c-Fos at the hindbrain swallowing center where AngII receptors were expressed, as in other ray-finned fish, and such direct action on the forebrain was not found. Behavioural analyses showed that loss of buccal water on land by AngII-induced swallowing, by piercing holes in the opercula, or by water-absorptive gel placed in the cavity motivat...
The discovery of neuropeptides provides insights into the regulation of physiological processes. ... more The discovery of neuropeptides provides insights into the regulation of physiological processes. The precursor for the neuropeptide neuromedin U contains multiple consensus sequences for proteolytic processing, suggesting that this precursor might generate additional peptides. We performed immunoaffinity chromatography of rat brain extracts and consequently identified such a product, which we designated neuromedin U precursor-related peptide (NURP). In rat brain, NURP was present as two mature peptides of 33 and 36 residues. Radioimmunoassays revealed NURP immunoreactivity in the pituitary, small intestine, and brain of rats, with the most intense reactivity in the pituitary. Intracerebroventricular administration of NURP to both male and female rats robustly increased plasma concentrations of prolactin but not of other anterior pituitary hormones. In contrast, NURP failed to stimulate prolactin release from dispersed anterior pituitary cells. Pretreatment of rats with bromocriptine...
Ghrelin has been identified in vertebrates from fish to mammals, and it has multiple biological a... more Ghrelin has been identified in vertebrates from fish to mammals, and it has multiple biological activities including gastrointestinal (GI) motor-stimulating action. In some non-mammalian vertebrates, we examined the effects of ghrelin on contractility of the isolated GI tract as well as the mRNA expression of growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) to determine whether the motor-stimulating action of ghrelin is common in vertebrates. The expression level of GHS-R1a mRNA differed depending on the species and on the GI region (stomach, small intestine, and colon). GI region-dependent expression of GHS-R1a mRNA was remarkable in chickens, and the expression levels changed depending on age. In a functional study, ghrelin did not cause contraction of unstimulated GI strips in fish (goldfish and rainbow trout) or amphibians (bullfrog and Japanese fire belly newts) even using their homologous ghrelin. In avian species, ghrelin caused contraction of the unstimulated GI tract of th...
General and comparative endocrinology, Jun 15, 2015
Ghrelin has been identified in some amphibians and is known to stimulate growth hormone release a... more Ghrelin has been identified in some amphibians and is known to stimulate growth hormone release and food intake as seen in mammals. Ghrelin regulates gastrointestinal motility in mammals and birds. The aim of this study was to determine whether ghrelin affects gastrointestinal smooth muscle contractility in bullfrogs (anuran) and Japanese fire belly newts (urodelian) in vitro. Neither bullfrog ghrelin nor rat ghrelin affected longitudinal smooth muscle contractility of gastrointestinal strips from the bullfrog. Expression of growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) mRNA was confirmed in the bullfrog gastrointestinal tract, and the expression level in the gastric mucosa was lower than that in the intestinal mucosa. In contrast, some gastrointestinal peptides, including substance P, neurotensin and motilin, and the muscarinic receptor agonist carbachol showed marked contraction, indicating normality of the smooth muscle preparations. Similar results were obtained in another a...
To determine mechanisms for age-related decrease of GHS-R1a expression in the chicken proventricu... more To determine mechanisms for age-related decrease of GHS-R1a expression in the chicken proventriculus, changes in mRNA expression of ghrelin and ghrelin-O-acetyltransferase (GOAT) as well as ghrelin concentrations in the proventriculus and plasma were examined in growing chickens. Changes in expression levels of ghrelin, GOAT and GHS-R1a mRNAs were also examined in different brain regions (pituitary, hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, olfactory bulb, midbrain and medulla oblongata). Ghrelin concentrations in the proventriculus and plasma increased with aging and reached plateaus at 30-50 days after hatching. High level of ghrelin mRNA decreased at 3 days after hatching, and it became stable at half of the initial level. Expression levels of GHS-R1a and GOAT decreased 3 or 5 days after hatching and became stable at low levels. Significant negative correlations were found between plasma ghrelin and mRNA levels of GOAT and GHS-R1a. Expression levels of ghrelin mRNA wer...
We have identified cDNA encoding a functional growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a (GHS-R1a, g... more We have identified cDNA encoding a functional growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a (GHS-R1a, ghrelin receptor) in two species of anuran amphibian, the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), and the Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica). Deduced receptor protein for bullfrog and Japanese tree frog (tree frog) was comprised of 374- and 371-amino acids, respectively. The two receptors shared 86% identity, and are grouped to the clade of the tetrapod homologs by phylogenetic analysis. In functional analyses, ghrelin and GHS-R1a agonists increased intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in GHS-R1a-transfected-HEK293 cell, but ligand selectivity of ghrelin with Ser(3) and Thr(3) was not observed between the two receptors. Bullfrog GHS-R1a mRNA was mainly expressed in the brain, stomach, and testis. In the brain, the gene expression was detected in the diencephalon and mesencephalon, but not in the pituitary. Tree frog GHS-R1a mRNA was predominantly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and ovary, but ...
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Papers by Hiroyuki Kaiya