| 1. |
- Blomkvist, Josefin, et al.
(författare)
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Perspective on Roseroot (Rhodiola rosea) Studies
- 2009
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Ingår i: Planta Medica. - : Verlag KG Stuttgart -New York. - 0032-0943 .- 1439-0221. ; 75:11, s. 1187-1190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rhodiola rosea (roseroot) extract is a commercially successful product, primarily used to reduce the effect of fatigue on physical and mental performance. In this perspective we present our investigation of the most recent studies performed on human subjects. With a focus on the statistical methods we found considerable shortcomings in all but one of the studies that claim significant improvement from roseroot extract. Overall, the study designs have not been well explained. Experimental results have been confused and appear to be in some cases incorrect. Some of the conclusions are based on selected results and contradicting data have not been adequately taken into account. We point to other studies of higher quality performed on roseroot, several that found no significant effect and one that did. We conclude that the currently available evidence for the claimed effects is insufficient and that the effect of Rhodiola rosea is in need of further investigation before therapeutic claims can be made.
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| 2. |
- Bromée, Torun, 1973-
(författare)
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Evolution and Pharmacology of Receptors for Bradykinin and Neuropeptide Y in Vertebrates
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The bradykinin and neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors belong to the superfamily of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). The GPCRs form the largest class of therapeutic targets and it is therefore of great interest to investigate the pharmacological properties, functions and evolution of these receptors.Bradykinin (BK) is a nonapeptide that contributes to inflammatory responses, mediates pain signals and influences blood pressure. The two bradykinin receptor subtypes B1 and B2 are well characterized in mammals, but have received little attention in non-mammals. This thesis describes the cloning and characterization of the first piscine bradykinin receptor, from the Danio rerio (zebrafish). Ligand-receptor interactions were measured as production of intracellular inositol phosphate. Zebrafish BK activated the receptor with highest potency (pEC50=6.97±0.1) while mammalian BK was almost inactive. A complete alanine and D-amino acid scan of the BK peptide revealed important roles for receptor interaction for residues Gly4, Ser6, Pro7, Leu8 and Arg9. The receptor gene was mapped to chromosome 17 in the zebrafish genome in a region that shows conserved synteny to the human B1-B2 gene region on chromosome 14. The release of the zebrafish and pufferfish genomes enabled us to identify both B1 and B2 genes in Danio rerio and pufferfishes (Takifugu rubripes and Tetraodon nigroviridis) as well as the B1 gene in chicken. All of these species display conserved synteny of the gene region. Interestingly, the evolutionary rate is clearly greater for B1 than for B2. Kininogen, the precursor for bradykinin, is also located in a chromosome region with extensive conserved synteny.Neuropeptide Y (NPY), peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) comprise a family of related peptides and are involved in a variety of neuronal and endocrine functions. Receptor subtypes Y6 and Y7 were cloned and pharmacologically characterized in chicken. The genes are located one megabase apart on chromosome 13 in a region with conserved synteny to human chromosome 5. Porcine PYY bound to chicken Y6 with a Kd of 0.80±0.36 nM and chicken Y7 with a Kd of 0.14±0.01 nM. The Y6 mRNA is expressed in hypothalamus, gastrointestinal tract and adipose tissue and may be involved in appetite regulation like other NPY receptors. Chicken Y7 mRNA was only detected in adrenal gland. These results may help explain why these receptors have lost function in humans.
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| 3. |
- Bromée, Torun, et al.
(författare)
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Neuropeptide Y-family receptors Y6 and Y7 in chicken : Cloning, pharmacological characterization, tissue distribution and conserved synteny with human chromosome region
- 2006
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Ingår i: The FEBS Journal. - : Federation of European Biochemical Societies. - 1742-464X .- 1742-4658. ; 273:9, s. 2048-2063
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The peptides of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) family exert their functions, including regulation of appetite and circadian rhythm, by binding to G-protein coupled receptors. Mammals have five subtypes, named Y1, Y2, Y4, Y5 and Y6, and recently Y7 has been discovered in fish and amphibians. In chicken we have previously characterized the first four subtypes and here we describe Y6 and Y7. The genes for Y6 and Y7 are located 1 megabase apart on chromosome 13, which displays conserved synteny with human chromosome 5 that harbours the Y6 gene. The porcine PYY radioligand bound the chicken Y6 receptor with a Kd of 0.80 ± 0.36 nm. No functional coupling was demonstrated. The Y6 mRNA is expressed in hypothalamus, gastrointestinal tract and adipose tissue. Porcine PYY bound chicken Y7 with a Kd of 0.14 ± 0.01 nm (mean ± SEM), whereas chicken PYY surprisingly had a much lower affinity, with a Ki of 41 nm, perhaps as a result of its additional amino acid at the N terminus. Truncated peptide fragments had greatly reduced affinity for Y7, in agreement with its closest relative, Y2, in chicken and fish, but in contrast to Y2 in mammals. This suggests that in mammals Y2 has only recently acquired the ability to bind truncated PYY. Chicken Y7 has a much more restricted tissue distribution than other subtypes and was only detected in adrenal gland. Y7 seems to have been lost in mammals. The physiological roles of Y6 and Y7 remain to be identified, but our phylogenetic and chromosomal analyses support the ancient origin of these Y receptor genes by chromosome duplications in an early (pregnathostome) vertebrate ancestor.
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| 4. |
- Bromée, Torun, et al.
(författare)
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Uneven Evolutionary Rates of Bradykinin B1 and B2 Receptors in Vertebrate Lineages
- 2006
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Ingår i: Gene. - : Elsevier. - 0378-1119 .- 1879-0038. ; 373, s. 100-108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bradykinin acts through two receptor subtypes in mammals and generates a variety of responses including pain, inflammation and hypotension. The evolutionary history of the bradykinin system has been unclear due to shortage of information outside mammals. We describe here two receptor subtypes and the bradykinin precursor in three species of bony fish (the zebrafish Danio rerio, the Japanese pufferfish Takifugu rubripes, and the green spotted pufferfish Tetraodon nigroviridis) and chicken and analyze the relationships to mammals by a combination of phylogeny, conserved synteny and exon–intron organization. All of these species have two receptor genes located close to each other in a tandem formation, with the B2 gene 5′ to the B1 gene, in chromosomal regions displaying conserved synteny between the species (albeit conservation of synteny in zebrafish is still unclear due to poor genome assembly). The evolutionary rate differs between the two genes as well as between lineages leading to differing pharmacological properties for both B1 and B2 across vertebrate classes. Also the bradykinin precursor gene was identified in all of these species in a chromosome region with conserved synteny. The tissue distribution of mRNA in T. rubripes is similar for B1 and B2, suggesting more similar regulation for the two genes than in mammals. In conclusion, the receptor tandem duplication predates the divergence of ray-finned fish and tetrapods and no additional duplicates of the receptors or bradykinin seem to have survived the ray-finned fish tetraploidization.
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| 5. |
- Do Rego, Jean-Luc, et al.
(författare)
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Steroid biosynthesis within the frog brain : a model of neuroendocrine regulation
- 2009
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Ingår i: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. - : Wiley. - 0077-8923 .- 1749-6632. ; 1163, s. 83-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is now clear evidence that the brain, similar to the adrenal gland, gonads, and placenta, is a steroidogenic organ. Notably in the frog brain, the presence of various steroidogenic enzymes has been detected by immunohistochemistry in specific populations of neurons and/or glial cells. These steroidogenic enzymes are biologically active, as shown by the ability of brain tissue explants to convert [(3)H]pregnenolone into various radiolabeled steroids. The frog brain has also been extensively used as a model to study the mechanism of regulation of neurosteroidogenesis by neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. It has been demonstrated that the biosynthesis of neurosteroids is inhibited by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), acting through GABA(A) receptors, and neuropeptide Y, acting through Y1 receptors, and is stimulated by the octadecaneuropeptide (ODN), acting through central-type benzodiazepine receptors, triakontatetraneuropeptide (TTN), acting through peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors, and vasotocin, acting through V1a-like receptors. These data indicate that some of the neurophysiological effects of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides may be mediated through modulation of neurosteroid biosynthesis.
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| 6. |
- Dreborg, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Evolution of vertebrate opioid receptors
- 2008
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 105:40, s. 15487-15492
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The opioid peptides and receptors have prominent roles in pain transmission and reward mechanisms in mammals. The evolution of the opioid receptors has so far been little studied, with only a few reports on species other than tetrapods. We have investigated species representing a broader range of vertebrates and found that the four opioid receptor types (delta, kappa, mu, and NOP) are present in most of the species. The gene relationships were deduced by using both phylogenetic analyses and chromosomal location relative to 20 neighboring gene families in databases of assembled genomes. The combined results show that the vertebrate opioid receptor gene family arose by quadruplication of a large chromosomal block containing at least 14 other gene families. The quadruplication seems to coincide with, and, therefore, probably resulted from, the two proposed genome duplications in early vertebrate evolution. We conclude that the quartet of opioid receptors was already present at the origin of jawed vertebrates approximately 450 million years ago. A few additional opioid receptor gene duplications have occurred in bony fishes. Interestingly, the ancestral receptor gene duplications coincide with the origin of the four opioid peptide precursor genes. Thus, the complete vertebrate opioid system was already established in the first jawed vertebrates.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Gruber, Kenneth A, et al.
(författare)
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Neuropeptide Y and gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone (gamma-MSH) share a common pressor mechanism of action
- 2009
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Ingår i: Endocrine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1355-008X .- 1559-0100. ; 35:3, s. 312-324
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Central circuits known to regulate food intake and energy expenditure also affect central cardiovascular regulation. For example, both the melanocortin and neuropeptide Y (NPY) peptide families, known to regulate food intake, also produce central hypertensive effects. Members of both families share a similar C-terminal amino acid residue sequence, RF(Y) amide, a sequence distinct from that required for melanocortin receptor binding. A recently delineated family of RFamide receptors recognizes both of these C-terminal motifs. We now present evidence that an antagonist with Y1 and RFamide receptor activity, BIBO3304, will attenuate the central cardiovascular effects of both gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone (gamma-MSH) and NPY. The use of synthetic melanocortin and NPY peptide analogs excluded an interaction with melanocortin or Y family receptors. We suggest that the anatomical convergence of NPY and melanocortin neurons on cardiovascular control centers may have pathophysiological implications through a common or similar RFamide receptor(s), much as they converge on other nuclei to coordinately control energy homeostasis.
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| 9. |
- Larhammar, Dan, et al.
(författare)
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Early duplications of opioid receptor and Peptide genes in vertebrate evolution
- 2009
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Ingår i: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. - : Wiley. - 0077-8923 .- 1749-6632. ; 1163, s. 451-453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The opioid receptor family in mammals has four members called delta, kappa, mu, and NOP (the nociceptin/orphanin receptor). We show here that they arose from a common ancestral gene through quadruplication of a large chromosomal region, presumably in the two basal vertebrate tetraploidizations. The four opioid peptide precursor genes have a more complicated evolutionary history involving chromosomal rearrangements but nevertheless seem to have arisen in the same time period as the receptors. Thus the system of opioid peptides and receptors was already established approximately 450 Ma at the dawn of gnathostome evolution.
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| 10. |
- Larhammar, Dan, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
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Evolution of vertebrate rod and cone phototransduction genes
- 2009
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Ingår i: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 364:1531, s. 2867-2880
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vertebrate cones and rods in several cases use separate but related components for their signal transduction (opsins, G-proteins, ion channels, etc.). Some of these proteins are also used differentially in other cell types in the retina. Because cones, rods and other retinal cell types originated in early vertebrate evolution, it is of interest to see if their specific genes arose in the extensive gene duplications that took place in the ancestor of the jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) by two tetraploidizations (genome doublings). The ancestor of teleost fishes subsequently underwent a third tetraploidization. Our previously reported analyses showed that several gene families in the vertebrate visual phototransduction cascade received new members in the basal tetraploidizations. We here expand these data with studies of additional gene families and vertebrate species. We conclude that no less than 10 of the 13 studied phototransduction gene families received additional members in the two basal vertebrate tetraploidizations. Also the remaining three families seem to have undergone duplications during the same time period but it is unclear if this happened as a result of the tetraploidizations. The implications of the many early vertebrate gene duplications for functional specialization of specific retinal cell types, particularly cones and rods, are discussed.
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