STRESS-INDUCED ACTIVATION OF COLONIC MOTOR FUNCTION

以前的研究表明，中枢或外周注射促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子(CRF)可模拟束缚应激对结肠运动功能的推动作用，中枢或外周注射CRF受体拮抗剂也可类似地阻断束缚诱导的结肠运输刺激。这些数据表明，外周CRF受体的激活可能也参与了结肠运动对应激的反应。该提案的总体目标是建立外周注射CRF刺激结肠运动功能的机制，这些机制迄今大多尚不清楚，以及它们的生理相关性。CRF受体亚型1和2(CRF-R1和CRF-R2)的研究进展、哺乳动物CRF相关多肽urocortin作为CRF-R2内源性配体的发现、选择性CRF受体亚型拮抗剂的开发以及CRF-R1基因敲除小鼠的产生为实现这一目标提供了强有力的新工具。第一个特定的目标来自我们的初步数据，将测试假设，即CRF注射(IP)通过外周CRF-R1起作用，应激招募这一途径。这将通过以下方式实现：1)表征IP注射与CRF-R1和CRF-R2具有不同亲和力的CRF相关配体引起的结肠运动功能(近端和远端肌电活动、转运和排泄量)的变化；2)建立IP CRF和urocortin的阻断以及IP asressin和选择性CRF-R1拮抗剂对结肠的应激作用，并使用CRF-R1基因敲除小鼠；3)使用体内免疫中和应激后多肽的RIA测量来评估循环中CRF/urocortin在应激过程中CRF受体激活中的作用。在第二个目标中，我们将通过药理学和外科手术相结合的方法来阐明IP CRF刺激结肠运动功能的机制，以排除内分泌和外源性神经系统成分的可能参与，并通过Fos免疫组织化学结合CRF-R1在结肠的双重标记和定位来验证CRF可能直接激活肠胆碱能/P物质运动神经元的假说。了解CRF受体亚型和IPCRF刺激结肠推进活动的机制可能对了解肠易激综合征(IBS)应激相关加重的病理生理学有重要意义，因为IBS患者对静脉CRF的结肠动力反应较对照组增强。

Previous studies indicate that central or peripheral injection of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) mimics the propulsive effect of restraint stress on colonic motor function and a CRF receptor antagonist injected either centrally or peripherally exerted similar blockade of restraint-induced stimulation of colonic transit. These data suggest that peripheral CRF receptor activation may also be involved in the colonic motor response to stress. The overall objective of the proposal is to establish the mechanisms whereby peripheral injection of CRF stimulates colonic motor function which are so far largely unknown, and their physiological relevance. New advances related to the characterization of distinct CRF receptor subtypes 1 and 2 (CRF- R1 and CRF-R2), the discovery of the novel mammalian CRF-related peptide, urocortin, as the endogenous ligand for CRF-R2, the development of selective CRF receptor subtype antagonists and the generation of CRF-R1 knockout mice provide powerful new tools which will be used to achieve this objective. The first specific aim, derived from our preliminary data, will test the hypothesis that CRF injected intraperitoneally (ip) acts through peripheral CRF-R1 and that stress recruits this pathway. This will be achieved by 1) characterizing the changes in colonic motor function (proximal and distal myoelectrical activity, transit and fecal output) induced by ip injection of CRF-related ligands with a different spectrum of affinity to the CRF-R1 and CRF-R2; 2) establishing the blockade of ip CRF and urocortin and stress actions on the colon by ip astressin and a selective CRF-R1 antagonists and the use of CRF-R1 knockout mice; 3) assessing the role of circulating CRF/urocortin in the activation of CRF receptor during stress using in vivo immuneutralization and RIA measurements of peptides after stress. In the second aim, we will delineate the mechanisms whereby ip CRF stimulates colonic motor function using combined pharmacological and surgical approaches to rule out the possible involvement of endocrine and extrinsic nervous system components and test the hypothesis that CRF may directly activate enteric cholinergic/substance P motor neurons using Fos immunohistochemistry combined with double labeling and localization of CRF-R1 expression by in situ hybridization in the colon. Unraveling the CRF receptor subtype and mechanism through which ip CRF stimulates colonic propulsive activity may have important implications in the understanding of the pathophysiology of stress-related exacerbations of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) since IBS patients have an enhanced colonic motility response to iv CRF compared with controls.