This investigation was aimed at immunohistochemical analysis of potential changes in the enteric nervous system caused by cancer of the large intestine. In this purpose, neurons and nerve fibers of intestinal plexuses containing neuropeptides: vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY), in pathologically changed part ...

Some secretory proteins leave the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by a receptor-mediated cargo capture mechanism, but the signals required for the cargo-receptor interaction are largely unknown. Here, we describe a novel targeting motif that is composed of a high-mannose type oligosaccharide intimately associated with a surface-exposed peptide beta-hairpin loop. The motif accounts for lectin ERGIC-5...

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with symptoms starting 6-18 mo after birth, while what underlies the delayed onset is unclear. Allopregnanolone (Allop) is a metabolite of progesterone and a potent modulator of GABAA-ergic currents whose defects are seen in RTT. Allop changes its concentration during the perinatal period, which may affect central neurons via the GABAA-ergic ...

Sensory preconditioning (SPC) is a procedure to demonstrate learning to associate between relatively neutral sensory stimuli in the absence of an external reinforcing stimulus, the underlying neural mechanisms of which have remained obscure. We address basic questions about neural processes underlying SPC, including whether neurons that mediate reward or punishment signals in reinforcement lear...

Secretory proteins are exported from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by bulk flow and/or receptor-mediated transport. Our understanding of this process is limited because of the low number of identified transport receptors and cognate cargo proteins. In mammalian cells, the lectin ER Golgi intermediate compartment 53-kD protein (ERGIC-53) represents the best characterized cargo receptor. It assi...

We review recent progress in the study of roles of octopaminergic (OA-ergic) and dopaminergic (DA-ergic) signaling in insect classical conditioning, focusing on our studies on crickets. Studies on olfactory learning in honey bees and fruit-flies have suggested that OA-ergic and DA-ergic neurons convey reinforcing signals of appetitive unconditioned stimulus (US) and aversive US, respectively. O...

The secretory pathway defines and maintains the intracellular architecture of the eukaryotic cell. Proteins targeted to either the plasma membrane, the extracellular medium or to specific organelles within the cell are dependent on the correct transfer along this pathway. The importance of its function has become increasingly clear and several proteins in this pathway have been linked to human ...

The mammalian Golgi complex, trans Golgi network (TGN) and ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) are comprised of membrane cisternae, coated vesicles and membrane tubules, all of which contribute to membrane trafficking and maintenance of their unique architectures. Recently, a new cast of players was discovered to regulate the Golgi and ERGIC: four unrelated cytoplasmic phospholipase A (PL...