Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Localization of preproenkephalin mRNA in rat heart: selective gene expression in left ventricular myocardium

Localization of preproenkephalin mRNA in rat heart: selective gene expression in left ventricular... Abstract The enkephalins are derived from a common precursor protein known as preproenkephalin (ppENK). Enkephalins appear to be one of the endogenous ligands for the opiate receptors. In the rat the ventricular myocardium contains more ppENK mRNA than any other tissue. To gain further insight into the role of cardiac enkephalins, the regional and developmental distribution of ppENK mRNA was studied by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization. In the early postnatal period, ppENK mRNA is low in atrial and ventricular myocardium. With maturation, ppENK expression increases threefold in left and right ventricular tissue, but not in the atria or cardiac conductive system. Interestingly, ppENK mRNA levels are four times higher in the left than in the right chamber. Thus, to our knowledge, ppENK is the only gene exhibiting marked differences in expression between the adult right and left ventricle. Given the left-side preference of ppENK expression, the possibility is raised that the left ventricle is an endocrine organ that supplies the body with enkephalins. in situ hybridization endogenous opioids gene expression aging Footnotes Address for reprint requests: J. Weil, Abteilung Allgemeine Pharmakologie, Universitäts-Krankenhaus Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany. Copyright © 1998 the American Physiological Society http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology The American Physiological Society

Localization of preproenkephalin mRNA in rat heart: selective gene expression in left ventricular myocardium

Loading next page...
 
/lp/the-american-physiological-society/localization-of-preproenkephalin-mrna-in-rat-heart-selective-gene-rSFC1D5LlL

References

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
The American Physiological Society
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 the American Physiological Society
ISSN
0363-6135
eISSN
1522-1539
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Abstract The enkephalins are derived from a common precursor protein known as preproenkephalin (ppENK). Enkephalins appear to be one of the endogenous ligands for the opiate receptors. In the rat the ventricular myocardium contains more ppENK mRNA than any other tissue. To gain further insight into the role of cardiac enkephalins, the regional and developmental distribution of ppENK mRNA was studied by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization. In the early postnatal period, ppENK mRNA is low in atrial and ventricular myocardium. With maturation, ppENK expression increases threefold in left and right ventricular tissue, but not in the atria or cardiac conductive system. Interestingly, ppENK mRNA levels are four times higher in the left than in the right chamber. Thus, to our knowledge, ppENK is the only gene exhibiting marked differences in expression between the adult right and left ventricle. Given the left-side preference of ppENK expression, the possibility is raised that the left ventricle is an endocrine organ that supplies the body with enkephalins. in situ hybridization endogenous opioids gene expression aging Footnotes Address for reprint requests: J. Weil, Abteilung Allgemeine Pharmakologie, Universitäts-Krankenhaus Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany. Copyright © 1998 the American Physiological Society

Journal

AJP - Heart and Circulatory PhysiologyThe American Physiological Society

Published: Aug 1, 1998

There are no references for this article.