The orexin neurohormones control a variety of important physiological processes by signaling through two related G protein-coupled receptors, including appetite and feeding, wakefulness and energy homeostasis. Pharmacological manipulation of orexin signaling is an important goal. Here we describe the isolation of orexin receptor ligands from a library of microarray-displayed peptoids via a nove...

Orexins are neuropeptides that play important roles in sleep-wake regulation and food intake the central nervous system, but their receptors also expressed peripheral tissues, including endocrine system. In present study, we investigated functions of orexin adrenal steroidogenesis using human adrenocortical H295R cells by focusing on its interaction with bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) induc...

Orexin-A and orexin-B are neuropeptides originally identified as endogenous ligands for two orphan G-protein-coupled receptors. Orexin neuropeptides (also known as hypocretins) are produced by a small group of neurons in the lateral hypothalamic and perifornical areas, a region classically implicated in the control of mammalian feeding behavior. Orexin neurons project throughout the central ner...

We showed previously that OX(1) orexin receptor stimulation produced a strong (3)H overflow response from [(3)H]arachidonic acid (AA)-labeled cells. Here we addressed this issue with a novel set of tools and methods, to distinguish the enzyme pathways responsible for this response. CHO-K1 cells heterologously expressing human OX(1) receptors were used as a model system. By using selective pharm...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Orexin and orexin receptors are present in the CNS. The effects of orexin peptides have been uniformly reported as excitatory, and the posterior hypothalamus containing orexin neurons has been implicated in arousal state control. Therefore, it is probable that the orexin system may have a neuromodulatory effect on arousal states. The aim of the present study was to investigate ...

Orexins are neuropeptides produced in the lateral hypothalamus and implicated in regulation of sleep-wake cycle. Selective loss of orexin neurons is found in the brain of patients with narcolepsy, but the mechanisms of this pathological change are unclear. A previous study showed that excessive stimulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by quinolinic acid (QA) caused selective loss of...

Release of the neuropeptides corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and orexin-A in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) play an important role in stress-induced cocaine-seeking behavior. We provide evidence for pharmacologically significant interactions between CRF and orexin-A that depend on oligomerization of CRF1 receptor (CRF1R) and orexin OX1 receptors (OX1R). CRF1R-OX1R heteromers are the cond...

The distribution of orexin A-immunoreactive neurons and orexin type I receptors in the CNS suggests important roles in regulating the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis and sexual behaviors. We examined orexin A interactions in the HPG axis in vivo and in vitro. Orexin A stimulated LH-releasing hormone (LHRH) release in hypothalamic explants harvested from male rats (+133%) and from femal...

As is evident from the pathological consequences of its absence in narcolepsy, orexin (hypocretin) appears to be critical for the maintenance of wakefulness. Via diffuse projections through the brain, orexin-containing neurons in the hypothalamus may act on a number of wake-promoting systems. Among these are the intralaminar and midline thalamic nuclei, which project in turn in a widespread man...