During the course of work directed towards the purification of a corticotro-pin-releasing factor, two other biological active substances were discovered in bovine hypothalamic extracts: one a sialogogic peptide, the other a vaso-active substance easily separated from the sialogogic agent by ion-exchange chromotography. The sialogogic peptide was subsequently characterized as substance P (SP); the other substance, also a peptide, was named neurotensin (NT). These peptides were isolated, their amino acid sequences determined (substance P; arg-pro-lys-pro-gln-gln-phe-phe-gly-leu-met-NH2; neurotensin: < glu-leu-tyr-glu-asn-lys-pro-arg-arg-pro-tyr-ile-leu-OH), synthetic material prepared, and radioimmunoassays developed. Subsequent studies from many laboratories have yielded much information relevant to the physiological roles of these peptides. In addition to its uneven distribution throughout the CNS, SP is also present in the peripheral nervous system. Data is presented on its distribution in sympathetic ganglia and its depletion by pretreatment with capsaicin. Release of immunoreactive substance P (I-SP) has been demonstrated in vivo from mammalian spinal cord after activation of nociceptive afferents. Neurotensin is also unevenly distributed throughout the CNS and is present in the GI tract. Neurotensin containing cells have been demonstrated scattered throughout the small intestinal epithelium of every mammalian and avian species. The concentration of immunoreactive NT has been measured to increase in hepatic portal vein plasma after infusing a micellar solution of lipid through the small intestine of rats. Neurotensin has been demonstrated to be present in a cell line derived from a rat medullary thyroid carcinoma permitting studies on the regulation of neurotensin release from these cells in culture.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
The capture of crude oil droplets by filter feeders at high and low Reynolds numbers
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Researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, reveal how tiny filter feeding barnacles and Daphnia entrap and consume minute droplets of crude oil, introducing the pollutant at the bottom of the food chain.
Patterns and processes in amphibious fish
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In their Review, Keegan Lutek, Cassandra Donatelli and Emily Standen discuss the biomechanics and neural control of terrestrial locomotion in amphibious fish. They explore how locomotor mode depends on body shape, physical constraints and phylogeny.
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