Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI), which can be inherited or acquired, is characterized by an inability to concentrate urine despite normal or elevated plasma concentrations of the antidiuretic hormone, arginine vasopressin (AVP). Polyuria with hyposthenuria and polydipsia are the cardinal clinical manifestations of the disease. About 90% of patients with congenital NDI are males with X-link...

The role of lateral septal vasopressin (VP) in the modulation of spatial memory, social memory, and anxiety-related behavior was studied in adult, male Wistar rats. Animals were equipped with osmotic minipumps delivering the VP-antagonist d(CH2)5-D-Tyr(Et)VAVP (1 ng/0.5 microl per h) bilaterally into the lateral septum (LS). Subsequently, all rats were subjected to four behavioral tests. First,...

Agonist-dependent desensitization and internalization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) are mediated by the binding of arrestins to phosphorylated receptors. The affinity of arrestins for the phosphorylated GPCR regulates the ability of the internalized receptor to be dephosphorylated and recycled back to the plasma membrane. In this study, we show that the naturally occurring loss of funct...

Vasopressin and oxytocin are intrinsically disordered cyclic nonapeptides belonging to a family of neurohypophysial hormones. Although unique in their functions, these peptides differ only by two residues and both feature a tocin ring formed by the disulfide bridge between first and sixth cysteine residues. This sequence and structural similarity are experimentally linked to oxytocin agonism at...

The arcades are long, branched renal tubules which connect deep and mid-cortical nephrons to cortical collecting ducts in the renal cortex. Because they are inaccessible by standard physiological techniques, their functions are poorly understood. In this paper, we demonstrate that the arcades are a site of expression of two proteins, aquaporin-2 (the vasopressin-regulated water channel) and the...