AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 269, Issue 3 E393-E408, Copyright © 1995 by American Physiological Society
Proenkephalin gene regulation in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus: a model of gene regulation in the CNS
D. Borsook and S. E. Hyman
Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
During the past decade, a great deal of progress has been made in studying
the mechanisms by which transcription of neuropeptides is regulated by
second messengers and neural activity. Such investigations, which have
depended to a great extent on the use of transformed cell lines, are far
from complete. Yet a major challenge for the coming decade is to understand
the regulation of neuropeptide genes by physiologically and
pharmacologically relevant stimuli in appropriate cell types in vivo. The
proenkephalin gene, a member of the opioid gene family, has served as a
model to study regulated transcription, not only in cell lines, but also in
central (e.g., hypothalamic) and peripheral (e.g., adrenal) neuroendocrine
tissues. Here we review regulation of proenkephalin gene expression in the
hypothalamus. Several approaches, including in situ hybridization, use of
transgenic mice, and the adaptation of electrophoretic mobility shift
assays to complex tissues, have played critical roles in recent advances. A
summary of possible future developments in this field of research is also
presented.
