Am J Physiol Cell Physiol Email Content Delivery
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 296: C514-C524, 2009. First published December 24, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00214.2008
0363-6143/09 $8.00
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
296/3/C514    most recent
00214.2008v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Morris, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Befus, A. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Morris, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Befus, A. D.

PROTEIN AND VESICLE TRAFFICKING, CYTOSKELETON

Autonomic nervous system regulates secretion of anti-inflammatory prohormone SMR1 from rat salivary glands

K. E. Morris,1 C. D. St. Laurent,1 R. S. Hoeve,1 P. Forsythe,1 M. R. Suresh,2 R. D. Mathison,3 and A. D. Befus1

1Department of Medicine and 2Department of Pharmacy, University of Alberta, Edmonton and 3Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Submitted 18 April 2008 ; accepted in final form 16 December 2008

The autonomic nervous system regulates the secretion of bioactive proteins and peptides from salivary glands that can be important in systemic physiological responses. The prohormone submandibular rat-1, which is highly expressed in rat submandibular glands, can be cleaved to produce polypeptides with analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Human genes related to submandibular rat-1 have conserved biological functions and are potentially important in pain suppression, erectile function, and inflammation. In this study we describe the differential expression and posttranslational modification of submandibular rat-1 protein in salivary glands, the urogenital tract, lung, blood, and saliva in male Sprague-Dawley and Brown Norway rats. Submandibular rat-1 protein is secreted into saliva after the administration of β-adrenergic or cholinergic agonists. Removal of the sympathetic ganglion that innervates the salivary glands results in increased levels of submandibular rat-1 protein in salivary glands. The secretion of submandibular rat-1 in response to physiological stress may provide a large pool of submandibular rat-1-derived peptide products that can promote analgesia and decrease inflammation locally and systemically. This pathway may be conserved among mammals and may constitute an important anti-inflammatory and analgesic response to stress.

sympathetic nervous system; submandibular rat-1; saliva; submandibular gland; ganglionectomy


Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: A. D. Befus, 550A Heritage Medical Research Ctr., Pulmonary Research Group, Dept. of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2S2 (e-mail: dean.befus{at}ualberta.ca)






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online
Copyright © 2009 by the American Physiological Society.