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Wang Y, Qin X, Han Y, Li B. VGF: A prospective biomarker and therapeutic target for neuroendocrine and nervous system disorders. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 151:113099. [PMID: 35594706 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroendocrine regulatory polypeptide VGF (nerve growth factor inducible) was firstly found in the rapid induction of nerve growth factor on PC12 cells. It was selectively distributed in neurons and many neuroendocrine tissues. This paper reviewed the latest literatures on the gene structure, transcriptional regulation, protein processing, distribution and potential receptors of VGF. The neuroendocrine roles of VGF and its derived polypeptides in regulating energy, water electrolyte balance, circadian rhythm and reproductive activities were also summarized. Furthermore, based on the experimental evidence in vivo and in vitro, dysregulation of VGF in different neuroendocrine diseases and the possible mechanism mediated by VGF polypeptides were discussed. We next discussed the potential as the clinical diagnosis and therapy for VGF related diseases in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibei Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China; Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
| | - Xiaoxue Qin
- Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
| | - Yun Han
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
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2
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Yilmaz A, Kalsbeek A, Buijs RM. Early changes of immunoreactivity to orexin in hypothalamus and to RFamide peptides in brainstem during the development of hypertension. Neurosci Lett 2021; 762:136144. [PMID: 34332031 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is an important function of the nervous system and essential for maintaining blood pressure levels in the physiological range. In hypertension, BRS is decreased both in man and animals. Although increased sympathetic activity is thought to be the main cause of decreased BRS, hence the development of hypertension, the BRS is regulated by both sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous system. Here, we analyzed neuropeptide changes in the lateral hypothalamus (LH), which favours the SNS activity, as well as in PNS nuclei in the brainstem of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive controls (Wistar Kyoto rats- WKY). The analyses revealed that in the WKY rats the hypothalamic orexin system, known for its role in sympathetic activation, showed a substantial decrease when animals age. At the same time, however, such a decrease was not observed when hypertension developed in the SHR. In contrast, Neuropeptide FF (NPFF) and Prolactin Releasing Peptide (PrRP) expression in the PNS associated Nucleus Tractus Solitarius (NTS) and Dorsal Motor Nucleus of the Vagus (DMV) diminished substantially, not only after the establishment of hypertension but also before its onset. Therefore, the current results indicate early changes in areas of the central nervous system involved in SNS and PNS control of blood pressure and associated with the development of hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajda Yilmaz
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam 1105 BA, the Netherlands
| | - Andries Kalsbeek
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam 1105 BA, the Netherlands; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Ruud M Buijs
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam 1105 BA, the Netherlands; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Institute for Biomedical Research, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
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3
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Dalbøge LS, Jacobsen JM, Mehrotra S, Mercer AJ, Cox N, Liu F, Bennett CM, Said M, Tang-Christensen M, Raun K, Hansen JL, Grove KL, Baquero AF. Evaluation of VGF peptides as potential anti-obesity candidates in pre-clinical animal models. Peptides 2021; 136:170444. [PMID: 33245952 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2020.170444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
VGF is a peptide precursor expressed in neuroendocrine cells that is suggested to play a role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. VGF is proteolytically cleaved to yield multiple bioactive peptides. However, the specific actions of VGF-derived peptides on energy homeostasis remain unclear. The aim of the present work was to investigate the role of VGF-derived peptides in energy homeostasis and explore the pharmacological actions of VGF-derived peptides on body weight in preclinical animal models. VGF-derived peptides (NERP-1, NERP-2, PGH-NH2, PGH-OH, NERP-4, TLQP-21, TLQP-30, TLQP-62, HHPD-41, AQEE-30, and LQEQ-19) were synthesized and screened for their ability to affect neuronal activity in vitro on hypothalamic brain slices and modulate food intake and energy expenditure after acute central administration in vivo. In addition, the effects of NERP-1, NERP-2, PGH-NH2, TLQP-21, TLQP-62, and HHPD-41 on energy homeostasis were studied after chronic central infusion. NERP-1, PGH-NH2, HHPD-41, and TLQP-62 increased the functional activity of hypothalamic neuronal networks. However, none of the peptides altered energy homeostasis after either acute or chronic ICV administration. The present data do not support the potential use of the tested VGF-derived peptides as novel anti-obesity drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise S Dalbøge
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Julie M Jacobsen
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Suneet Mehrotra
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Aaron J Mercer
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Nick Cox
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Fa Liu
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Camdin M Bennett
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Meerit Said
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | | | - Kirsten Raun
- Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, 2760, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Jakob L Hansen
- Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, 2760, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Kevin L Grove
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Arian F Baquero
- Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., 530 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
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Méndez-Hernández R, Escobar C, Buijs RM. Suprachiasmatic Nucleus-Arcuate Nucleus Axis: Interaction Between Time and Metabolism Essential for Health. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2020; 28 Suppl 1:S10-S17. [PMID: 32538539 DOI: 10.1002/oby.22774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In mammals, time and metabolism are tightly coupled variables; this relationship can be illustrated by numerous examples, such as the circadian variation in food intake or the circadian response to a glucose bolus. We review evidence that the interaction between the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the arcuate nucleus plays a key role in the execution of these functions. The nuclei are reciprocally connected via different projections, and this interaction provides an ideal anatomical framework to modify the temporal output of the hypothalamus to metabolic organs as a consequence of the feedback from the periphery. The suprachiasmatic nucleus-arcuate nucleus relationship is essential to integrate metabolic information into the circadian system and thus adapt circadian rhythms in core body temperature, locomotor activity, food intake, and circulating molecules such as glucose and corticosterone. With the rise in obesity-associated diseases in the world population, gaining knowledge about this relationship, and the consequences of disturbing this liaison, is essential to understand the pathogenesis of obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Méndez-Hernández
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Carolina Escobar
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ruud M Buijs
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
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Yilmaz A, Buijs FN, Kalsbeek A, Buijs RM. Neuropeptide changes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus are associated with the development of hypertension. Chronobiol Int 2019; 36:1072-1087. [DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2019.1613424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ajda Yilmaz
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam BA, The Netherlands
| | - Frederik N Buijs
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam BA, The Netherlands
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Institute for Biomedical Research, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico (Present address RMB)
| | - Andries Kalsbeek
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam BA, The Netherlands
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud M Buijs
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam BA, The Netherlands
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Institute for Biomedical Research, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico (Present address RMB)
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Jiang C, Lin WJ, Sadahiro M, Shin AC, Buettner C, Salton SR. Embryonic ablation of neuronal VGF increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight. Neuropeptides 2017; 64:75-83. [PMID: 28024880 PMCID: PMC5478485 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Germline ablation of VGF, a secreted neuronal, neuroendocrine, and endocrine peptide precursor, results in lean, hypermetabolic, and infertile adult mice that are resistant to diet-, lesion-, and genetically-induced obesity and diabetes (Hahm et al., 1999, 2002). To assess whether this phenotype is predominantly driven by reduced VGF expression in developing and/or adult neurons, or in peripheral endocrine and neuroendocrine tissues, we generated and analyzed conditional VGF knockout mice, obtained by mating loxP-flanked (floxed) Vgf mice with either pan-neuronal Synapsin-Cre- or forebrain alpha-CaMKII-Cre-recombinase-expressing transgenic mice. Adult male and female mice, with conditional ablation of the Vgf gene in embryonic neurons had significantly reduced body weight, increased energy expenditure, and were resistant to diet-induced obesity. Conditional forebrain postnatal ablation of VGF in male mice, primarily in adult excitatory neurons, had no measurable effect on body weight nor on energy expenditure, but led to a modest increase in adiposity, partially overlapping the effect of AAV-Cre-mediated targeted ablation of VGF in the adult ventromedial hypothalamus and arcuate nucleus of floxed Vgf mice (Foglesong et al., 2016), and also consistent with results of icv delivery of the VGF-derived peptide TLQP-21 to adult mice, which resulted in increased energy expenditure and reduced adiposity (Bartolomucci et al., 2006). Because the lean, hypermetabolic phenotype of germline VGF knockout mice is to a great extent recapitulated in Syn-Cre+/-,Vgfflpflox/flpflox mice, we conclude that the metabolic profile of germline VGF knockout mice is largely the result of VGF ablation in embryonic CNS neurons, rather than peripheral endocrine and/or neuroendocrine cells, and that in forebrain structures such as hypothalamus, VGF and/or VGF-derived peptides play uniquely different roles in the developing and adult nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Wei-Jye Lin
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Masato Sadahiro
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Andrew C Shin
- Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Christoph Buettner
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Stephen R Salton
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Department of Geriatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
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Hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in the Siberian hamster increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight gain. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0172724. [PMID: 28235047 PMCID: PMC5325529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
VGF (non-acronymic) was first highlighted to have a role in energy homeostasis through experiments involving dietary manipulation in mice. Fasting increased VGF mRNA in the Arc and levels were subsequently reduced upon refeeding. This anabolic role for VGF was supported by observations in a VGF null (VGF-/-) mouse and in the diet-induced and gold-thioglucose obese mice. However, this anabolic role for VGF has not been supported by a number of subsequent studies investigating the physiological effects of VGF-derived peptides. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of TLQP-21 increased resting energy expenditure and rectal temperature in mice and protected against diet-induced obesity. Similarly, ICV infusion of TLQP-21 into Siberian hamsters significantly reduced body weight, but this was due to a decrease in food intake, with no effect on energy expenditure. Subsequently NERP-2 was shown to increase food intake in rats via the orexin system, suggesting opposing roles for these VGF-derived peptides. Thus to further elucidate the role of hypothalamic VGF in the regulation of energy homeostasis we utilised a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector to over-express VGF in adult male Siberian hamsters, thus avoiding any developmental effects or associated functional compensation. Initially, hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in adult Siberian hamsters produced no effect on metabolic parameters, but by 12 weeks post-infusion hamsters had increased oxygen consumption and a tendency to increased carbon dioxide production; this attenuated body weight gain, reduced interscapular white adipose tissue and resulted in a compensatory increase in food intake. These observed changes in energy expenditure and food intake were associated with an increase in the hypothalamic contents of the VGF-derived peptides AQEE, TLQP and NERP-2. The complex phenotype of the VGF-/- mice is a likely consequence of global ablation of the gene and its derived peptides during development, as well as in the adult.
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Foglesong GD, Huang W, Liu X, Slater AM, Siu J, Yildiz V, Salton SRJ, Cao L. Role of Hypothalamic VGF in Energy Balance and Metabolic Adaption to Environmental Enrichment in Mice. Endocrinology 2016; 157:983-96. [PMID: 26730934 PMCID: PMC4769365 DOI: 10.1210/en.2015-1627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE), a housing condition providing complex physical, social, and cognitive stimulation, leads to improved metabolic health and resistance to diet-induced obesity and cancer. One underlying mechanism is the activation of the hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte axis with hypothalamic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as the key mediator. VGF, a peptide precursor particularly abundant in the hypothalamus, was up-regulated by EE. Overexpressing BDNF or acute injection of BDNF protein to the hypothalamus up-regulated VGF, whereas suppressing BDNF signaling down-regulated VGF expression. Moreover, hypothalamic VGF expression was regulated by leptin, melanocortin receptor agonist, and food deprivation mostly paralleled to BDNF expression. Recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated gene transfer of Cre recombinase to floxed VGF mice specifically decreased VGF expression in the hypothalamus. In contrast to the lean and hypermetabolic phenotype of homozygous germline VGF knockout mice, specific knockdown of hypothalamic VGF in male adult mice led to increased adiposity, decreased core body temperature, reduced energy expenditure, and impaired glucose tolerance, as well as disturbance of molecular features of brown and white adipose tissues without effects on food intake. However, VGF knockdown failed to block the EE-induced BDNF up-regulation or decrease of adiposity indicating a minor role of VGF in the hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte axis. Taken together, our results suggest hypothalamic VGF responds to environmental demands and plays an important role in energy balance and glycemic control likely acting in the melanocortin pathway downstream of BDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant D Foglesong
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Xianglan Liu
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Andrew M Slater
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Jason Siu
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Vedat Yildiz
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Stephen R J Salton
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Lei Cao
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
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Expression of a novel serine/threonine kinase gene, Ulk4, in neural progenitors during Xenopus laevis forebrain development. Neuroscience 2015; 290:61-79. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Revised: 12/30/2014] [Accepted: 12/31/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Abstract
The vgf gene (non-acronymic) is highly conserved and was identified on the basis of its rapid induction in vitro by nerve growth factor, although can also be induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glial-derived growth factor. The VGF gene gives rise to a 68 kDa precursor polypeptide, which is induced robustly, relatively selectively and is synthesized exclusively in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. Post-translational processing by neuroendocrine specific prohormone convertases in these cells results in the production of a number of smaller peptides. The VGF gene and peptides are widely expressed throughout the brain, particularly in the hypothalamus and hippocampus, in peripheral tissues including the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands, and the pancreas, and in the gastrointestinal tract in both the myenteric plexus and in endocrine cells. VGF peptides have been associated with a number of neuroendocrine roles, and in this review, we aim to describe these roles to highlight the importance of VGF as therapeutic target for a number of disorders, particularly those associated with energy metabolism, pain, reproduction, and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo E. Lewis
- Queen’s Medical Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, UK
| | - John M. Brameld
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, UK
| | - Preeti H. Jethwa
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, UK
- *Correspondence: Preeti H. Jethwa, Division of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK e-mail:
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