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Dorsal Tegmental Nucleus
The dorsal tegmental nucleus (DTN), also known as dorsal tegmental nucleus of Gudden (DTg), is a group of neurons located in the brain stem, which are involved in spatial navigation and orientation. Anatomy The dorsal tegmental nucleus is located in the brain stem near the midline. Two nuclei exist in both hemispheres. The DTN is generally subdivided into four parts called partes centralis, ventromedialis, anterior, and posterior. DTN contains a dense population of GABAergic cells. In the rat, few also express calbindin (CB) or calretinin (CR). Many of the DTN GABAergic cells do express parvalbumin (PV) with the densest expression in the pars ventralis portion. DTN neurons in rats contain small number of neuropeptide Y positive (NPY) neurons implicating a role in hunger and feeding. In rats, the DTN contains a small number of enkephalin, substance p Substance P (SP) is an undecapeptide (a peptide composed of a chain of 11 amino acid residues) and a member of the tachykinin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calbindin
Calbindins are three different calcium-binding proteins: calbindin, calretinin and S100G. They were originally described as vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding proteins in the intestine and kidney in the chick and mammals. They are now classified in different subfamilies as they differ in the number of Ca2+ binding EF hands. Calbindin 1 Calbindin 1 or simply calbindin was first shown to be present in the intestine in birds and then found in the mammalian kidney. It is also expressed in a number of neuronal and endocrine cells, particularly in the cerebellum. It is a 28 kDa protein encoded in humans by the ''CALB1'' gene. Calbindin contains 4 active calcium-binding domains, and 2 modified domains that have lost their calcium-binding capacity. Calbindin acts as a calcium buffer and calcium sensor and can hold four Ca2+ in the EF-hands of loops EF1, EF3, EF4 and EF5. The structure of rat calbindin was originally solved by nuclear magnetic resonance and was one of the largest prote ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calretinin
Calretinin, also known as calbindin 2 (formerly 29 kDa calbindin), is a calcium-binding protein involved in calcium signaling. In humans, the calretinin protein is encoded by the ''CALB2'' gene. Function This gene encodes an intracellular calcium-binding protein belonging to the troponin C superfamily. Members of this protein family have six EF-hand domains which bind calcium. This protein plays a role in diverse cellular functions, including message targeting and intracellular calcium buffering. Calretinin is abundantly expressed in neurons including retina (which gave it the name) and cortical interneurons. Expression was found in different neurons than that of the similar vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein, calbindin-28kDa. Calretinin has an important role as a modulator of neuronal excitability including the induction of long-term potentiation. Loss of expression of calretinin in hippocampal interneurons has been suggested to be relevant in temporal lobe epilep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parvalbumin
Parvalbumin (PV) is a calcium-binding protein with low molecular weight (typically 9-11 kDa). In humans, it is encoded by the ''PVALB'' gene. It is not a member of the albumin family; it is named for its size (''parv-'', from Latin ''parvus'' small) and its ability to coagulate. It has three EF hand motifs and is structurally related to calmodulin and troponin C. Parvalbumin is found in fast-contracting muscles, where its levels are highest, as well as in the brain and some endocrine tissues. Parvalbumin is a small, stable protein containing EF-hand type calcium binding sites. It is involved in calcium signaling. Typically, this protein is broken into three domains, domains AB, CD and EF, each individually containing a helix-loop-helix motif. The AB domain houses a two amino-acid deletion in the loop region, whereas domains CD and EF contain the N-terminal and C-terminal, respectively. Calcium binding proteins like parvalbumin play a role in many physiological processes, namely c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neuropeptide Y
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a 36 amino-acid neuropeptide that is involved in various physiological and homeostatic processes in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. NPY has been identified as the most abundant peptide present in the mammalian central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord. It is secreted alongside other neurotransmitters such as GABA and glutamate. In the autonomic system it is produced mainly by neurons of the sympathetic nervous system and serves as a strong vasoconstrictor and also causes growth of fat tissue. In the brain, it is produced in various locations including the hypothalamus, and is thought to have several functions, including: increasing food intake and storage of energy as fat, reducing anxiety and stress, reducing pain perception, affecting the circadian rhythm, reducing voluntary alcohol intake, lowering blood pressure, and controlling epileptic seizures. Function Neuropeptide Y has been identified as bei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enkephalin
An enkephalin is a pentapeptide involved in regulating nociception in the body. The enkephalins are termed endogenous ligands, as they are internally derived and bind to the body's opioid receptors. Discovered in 1975, two forms of enkephalin have been found, one containing leucine ("leu"), and the other containing methionine ("met"). Both are products of the proenkephalin gene. * Met-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met. * Leu-enkephalin has Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu. Endogenous opioid peptides There are three well-characterized families of opioid peptides produced by the body: enkephalins, B-endorphin, and dynorphins. The met-enkephalin peptide sequence is coded for by the enkephalin gene; the leu-enkephalin peptide sequence is coded for by both the enkephalin gene and the dynorphin gene. The proopiomelanocortin gene (POMC) also contains the met-enkephalin sequence on the N-terminus of beta-endorphin, but the endorphin peptide is not processed into enkephalin. Effects on stress ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Substance P
Substance P (SP) is an undecapeptide (a peptide composed of a chain of 11 amino acid residues) and a member of the tachykinin neuropeptide family. It is a neuropeptide, acting as a neurotransmitter and as a neuromodulator. Substance P and its closely related neurokinin A (NKA) are produced from a polyprotein precursor after differential splicing of the preprotachykinin A gene. The deduced amino acid sequence of substance P is as follows: * Arg Pro Lys Pro Gln Gln Phe Phe Gly Leu Met (RPKPQQFFGLM) with an amidation at the C-terminus. Substance P is released from the terminals of specific sensory nerves. It is found in the brain and spinal cord and is associated with inflammatory processes and pain. Discovery The original discovery of Substance P (SP) was in 1931 by Ulf von Euler and John H. Gaddum as a tissue extract that caused intestinal contraction ''in vitro''. Its tissue distribution and biologic actions were further investigated over the following decades. The ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brainstem
The brainstem (or brain stem) is the posterior stalk-like part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. In the human brain the brainstem is composed of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. The midbrain is continuous with the thalamus of the diencephalon through the tentorial notch, and sometimes the diencephalon is included in the brainstem. The brainstem is very small, making up around only 2.6 percent of the brain's total weight. It has the critical roles of regulating cardiac, and respiratory function, helping to control heart rate and breathing rate. It also provides the main motor and sensory nerve supply to the face and neck via the cranial nerves. Ten pairs of cranial nerves come from the brainstem. Other roles include the regulation of the central nervous system and the body's sleep cycle. It is also of prime importance in the conveyance of motor and sensory pathways from the rest of the brain to the body, and from the body back to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
