The Transcriptional Regulation of Vasopressin and Oxytocin Genes

垂体后叶素和催产素与神经内分泌密切相关 肽类激素在大脑皮层的特化神经元中合成 下丘脑投射到垂体后叶， 都能接触到血液循环 加压素 主要参与水的生理机制 平衡和血液动力学稳态，而催产素调节 泌乳期乳汁排出与子宫平滑肌 分娩时的宫缩 虽然这两种神经肽 激素表现出广泛不同的生理特性，它们 在结构上非常相似。 因为催产素和加压素 九种氨基酸中只有两种不同， 它们都来自于共同的祖先基因。 但尽管 这些激素在生理上的重要性， 目前还不清楚它们背后的分子机制 转录调控 谢尔曼博士将描述 含有加压素和催产素的基因区域 基因. 他将专注于结构和序列的 5，加压素和催产素复制的侧翼区域 域，其以反向方式取向，并被 约9 kb的基因间DNA。 这个区域可能代表 基因复制的痕迹 此外，博士。 谢尔曼会用最先进的分子生物学 方法来阐明可能的功能和组织- 加压素和催产素基因之间的特殊关系 在生理表达过程中。 了解分子 后叶加压素转录调控相关事件 催产素mRNA在下丘脑的表达会导致 更好地理解导致神经元活动的神经元活动， 神经内分泌细胞分泌这些激素。 这些 研究神经内分泌细胞生物学与神经元和 内分泌机制

Vasopressin and oxytocin are closely related neuroendocrine peptide hormones synthesized in specialized neurons of the hypothalamus that project to the posterior pituitary, where they have access to the general circulation. Vasopressin is predominately involved in the physiological mechanisms of water balance and hemodynamic homeostasis, whereas oxytocin regulates milk ejection during lactation and uterine smooth muscle contractions during parturition. Although these two neuropeptide hormones exhibit widely differing physiological properties, they are structurally very similar. Since oxytocin and vasopressin only differ in two of the nine amino acids, it is believed that they are derived from a common ancestral gene. However, despite the great physiological importance of these hormones, almost nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying their transcriptional regulation. Dr. Sherman will describe the genetic region that contains both the vasopressin and oxytocin genes. He will concentrate on the structure and sequence of the 5, flanking regions for the vasopressin and oxytocin duplication domain which are oriented in an inverted fashion and separated by approximately 9 kb of intergenic DNA. This region may represent the vestiges of a gene duplication event. In addition, Dr. Sherman will use state-of-the-art molecular biological methodologies to elucidate possible functional and tissue- specific relationships between the vasopressin and oxytocin genes during physiological expression. Understanding the molecular events involved in the transcriptional regulation of vasopressin and oxytocin mRNA expression in the hypothalamus will lead to a better understanding of the neuronal events leading to the secretion of these hormones by neuroendocrine cells. These studies interface neuroendocrine cell biology with neuronal and endocrine mechanisms.