Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK .
J Neuroendocrinol. 2011 Feb;23(2):177-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.02093.x.
We have addressed the question of how different rodent species cope with the life-threatening homeostatic challenge of dehydration at the level of transcriptome modulation in the supraoptic nucleus (SON), a specialised hypothalamic neurosecretory apparatus responsible for the production of the antidiuretic peptide hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP). AVP maintains water balance by promoting water conservation at the level of the kidney. Dehydration evokes a massive increase in the regulated release of AVP from SON axon terminals located in the posterior pituitary, and this is accompanied by a plethora of changes in the morphology, electrophysiological properties, biosynthetic and secretory activity of this structure. Microarray analysis was used to generate a definitive catalogue of the genes expressed in the mouse SON, and to describe how the gene expression profile changes in response to dehydration. Comparison of the genes differentially expressed in the mouse SON as a consequence of dehydration with those of the rat has revealed many similarities, pointing to common processes underlying the function-related plasticity in this nucleus. In addition, we have identified many genes that are differentially expressed in a species-specific manner. However, in many cases, we have found that the hyperosmotic cue can induce species-specific alterations in the expression of different genes in the same pathway. The same functional end can be served by different means, via differential modulation, in different species, of different molecules in the same pathway. We suggest that pathways, rather than specific genes, should be the focus of integrative physiological studies based on transcriptome data.
我们已经解决了不同啮齿动物物种如何在转录组调节水平上应对脱水这一危及生命的稳态挑战的问题，转录组调节是位于视上核（SON）的一种专门的下丘脑神经分泌装置，负责产生抗利尿肽激素血管加压素（AVP）。AVP 通过促进肾脏水平的水保存来维持水平衡。脱水会引起位于垂体后叶的 SON 轴突末梢中 AVP 的有调节释放大量增加，这伴随着该结构的形态、电生理特性、生物合成和分泌活性的大量变化。微阵列分析用于生成在小鼠 SON 中表达的基因的明确目录，并描述基因表达谱如何响应脱水而发生变化。比较由于脱水而在小鼠 SON 中差异表达的基因与大鼠的基因，揭示了许多相似之处，指出了该核中与功能相关的可塑性的共同过程。此外，我们还鉴定了许多以物种特异性方式差异表达的基因。然而，在许多情况下，我们发现高渗刺激可以在同一途径中诱导不同基因的物种特异性改变。不同物种可以通过不同的途径，以不同的方式，通过不同分子的差异调节，来达到相同的功能终点。我们认为，在基于转录组数据的综合生理学研究中，应该关注途径，而不是特定的基因。
