Summary
-
1.
Pharmacological evidence indicates that stress induced by brief (14 to 20-day) social deprivation in the rat is associated with an activation of the central preproenkephalin (ENK) opioid system. This study examines the neurochemical evidence that substantiates such an activation.
-
2.
Using a specific ENK complementary DNA probe, ENK RNA levels were measured by dot blot and Northern blot analyses in different brain areas of socially deprived rats. Immunoreactivity to met-enkephalin-derived peptides was also evaluated by radioimmunoassay in the same brain regions.
-
3.
Brief social deprivation increased the levels of ENK RNA and enkephalin immunoreactivity in whole hypothalamus.
-
4.
Our data suggest that this type of stress appears to be associated to an induction of ENK gene transcription in hypothalamus.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armario, A., and Castellanos, J. M. (1984). A simple procedure for direct corticosterone radioimmunoassay in the rat.Rev. Esp. Physiol. 40437–442.
Bloom, F. E. (1975). The role of cyclic nucleotides in central synaptic function.Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol. 741–103.
Burnstein, K. L., and Cidlowski, J. A. (1989). Regulation of gene expression by glucocorticoids.Annu. Rev. Physiol. 51683–699.
Ceccatelli, S., Villar, M. J., Goldstein, M., and Hökfelt, T. (1987). Expression of c-Fos immunoreactivity in transmitter-characterized neurons after stress.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 869569–9573.
Chao, H. M., and McEwen, B. (1990). Glucocorticoid regulation of preproenkephalin messenger ribonucleic acid in the rat striatum.Endocrinology 1263124–3130.
Costa, E., Mocchetti, I., Supattapone, S., and Synder, S. H. (1987). Opioid peptide biosynthesis: Enzymatic selectivity and regulatory mechanisms.FASEB J. 116–21.
Diamond, M. I., Miner, J. N., Yoshinaga, S. K., and Yamamoto, K. R. (1990). Transcription factor interactions: Selectors of positive or negative regulation from a single DNA element.Science 2491266–1272.
Feinberg, A. P., and Vogelstein, B. A. (1983). A technique for radiolabellind DNA restriction endonuclease fragments to a high specific activity.Anal. Biochem. 1326–13.
Gardiner, S. M., and Bennet, T. (1977). The effects of short-term isolation on systolic blood pressure and heart rate in rats.Med. Biol. 55325–329.
Hyman, S. E., Comb, M., Pearlberg, J., and Goodman, H. J. (1989). An AP-2 element acts synergistically with the cyclic AMP- and phorbol ester-inducible enhancer of the human preproenkephalin gene.Mol. Cell. Biol. 383321–324.
Florentino, A., Jiménez, I., Naranjo, J. R., Urdín, M. C., and Fuentes, J. A. (1987). Hypotensive effect of naloxone on high blood pressure induced by stress in the rat.Life Sci. 412445–2453.
Iglesias, T., Jiménez, I., Montero, S., and Fuentes, J. A. (1991). Stress-induced hypertension: Effects of adrenalectomy and corticosterone replacement.Life Sci. 49979–986.
Inturrisi, C. E., Branch, A. D., Robertson, H. D., Howell, R. D., Franklin, S. O., Shapiro, J. R., Calvano, S. E., and Yoburn, B. C. (1988). Glucocorticoid regulation of enkephalins in cultured rat adrenal medulla.Mol. Endocrinol. 2633–640.
Jiménez, I., Iglesias, T., and Fuentes, J. A. (1990). Stereoselectivity and subtype of the opiate receptor involved in stress-induced hypertension.Eur. J. Pharmacol. 182155–160.
Jonat, C., Rahmsdorf, H. J., Park, K. K., Cato, A. C. B., Gebel, S., Ponta, H., and Herrlich, P. (1990). Antitumor promotion and antiinflammation: Down-modulation of AP-1 (Fos/Jun) activity by glucocorticoid hormone.Cell 62 1189–1204.
Kant, G. J., Leu, J. R., Anderson, S. M., and Mougey, E. H. (1987). Effects of chronic stress on plasma corticosterone, ACTH and prolactin.Physiol. Behav. 40775–779.
Lightman, S. L., and Young, W. S., III (1987). Changes in hypothalamic preproenkephalin A mRNA following stress and opiate withdrawal.Nature 328543–545.
Lightman, S. L., and Young, W. S., III (1989). Influence of steroids on the hypothalamic CRF and preproenkephalin mRNA responses to stress.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 864306–4310.
Melia, K. R., and Duman, F. S. (1991). Involvement of corticotropin-relasing factor in chronic stress regulation of the brain noradrenergic system.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 888382–8386.
Montero, S., Fuentes, J. A., and Fernández-Tomé (1990). Lesions of the ventral noradrenergic bundle prevent the rise in blood pressure induced by social deprivation stress in the rat.Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. 10497–505.
Naranjo, J. R., and Fuentes, J. A. (1985). Association between hypoalgesia and hypertension in rats after short-term isolation.Neuropharmacology 24167–171.
Naranjo, J. R., Mocchetti, I., Schwartz, J. P., and Costa, E. (1986). Permissive effect of dexamethasone on the increasase of proenkephalin mRNA induced by depolarization of chromaffin cells.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 831513–1517.
Naranjo, J. R., Mellström, B., Achaval, M., and Sassone-Corsi, P. (1991). Molecular pathways of pain: Fos/Jun-mediated activation of a noncanonical AP-1 site in the prodynorphin gene.Neuron 6607–617.
Sonnenberg, J. L., Rauscher, F. J., III, Morgan, J. L., and Curran, T. (1989). Regulation of proenkephalin by Fos and Jun.Science 2461622–1625.
Van Tol, H. H. M., and Burbach, J. P. H. (1988). Quantitation of vasopressin and oxytocin mRNA levels in the brain.Methods Enzymol. 168398–413.
Villanúa, A. y Gamallo, A. (1985). Radioinmunoanálisis de corticosterona para la valoración de la función adrenal de ratas en condiciones de estrés.Endocrinologia 32 213–216.
Watts, A. G. (1991). Ether anesthesia differentially affects the content of prepro-corticotropin-releasing hormone, preproneurotensin/neuromedin N and prepro-enkephalin mRNAs in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of the rat.Brain Res. 544 353–357.
Xie, C. W., Lee, P. H. K., Takeuchi, K., Li, S. J., Douglass, J., and Hong, J. A. (1989). Single or repeated electroconvulsive shocks alter the levels of prodynorphin and preproenkephalin mRNAs in rat brain.Mol. Brain Res. 611–19.
Yang, H. Y. T., Hong, J. S., and Costa, E. (1977). Regional distribution of leu- and met-enkephalin in rat brain.Neuropharmacology 16 303–307.
Yoshikawa, K., and Sabol, S. L. (1986a). Glucocorticoids and cyclic AMP synergistically regulate the abundance of preproenkephalin messenger RNA in neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells.Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 1391–10.
Yoshikawa, K., and Sabol, S. L. (1986b). Expression of the enkephalin precursor gene in C6 rat glioma cells: Regulation byβ-adrenergic agonists and glucocorticoids.Mol. Brain Res. 175–83.
Yoshikawa, K., Williams, C., and Sabol, S. L. (1984). Rat brain preproenkephalin mRNA: cDNA cloning, primary structure and distribution in the central nervous system.J. Biol. Chem. 25914301–14308.
Yoshikawa, H. Y. T., Hong, J. S., and Sabol, S. L. (1985). Electroconvulsive shock increases preproenkephalin messenger RNA abundance in rat hypothalamus.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82589–593.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Iglesias, T., Montero, S., Otero, M.J. et al. Preproenkephalin RNA increases in the hypothalamus of rats stressed by social deprivation. Cell Mol Neurobiol 12, 547–555 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00711234
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00711234