Anti-secretory properties of non-peptide somatostatin receptor agonists in isolated rat colon: luminal activity and possible interaction with P-glycoprotein.

1. The diverse physiological actions of somatostatin are mediated by a family of G-protein coupled receptors (SSTRs). Several peptide analogues of somatostatin such as octreotide have been developed for therapeutic use, including treatment of gastrointestinal disorders such as secretory diarrhoea. However, their development as anti-diarrhoeal agents has been limited by poor oral bioavailability, necessitating parenteral administration. This in vitro study investigated the anti-secretory potential of a group of novel, non-peptide, somatostatin-receptor agonists that selectively activate specific SSTR subtypes to assess their potential for oral administration. 2. The ability of the agonists to inhibit forskolin-stimulated chloride secretion was measured using a sensitive bioassay system in isolated rat colonic mucosa. 3. The SSTR-2 selective agonist, L-779,976 was 10-times more potent than octreotide as an inhibitor of secretion when added to the basolateral surface of rat colon. Non-peptide agonists selective for SSTR1 (L-797,591), SSTR3 (L-796,778), SSTR4 (L-803,087) or SSTR5 (L-817,818) showed little or no anti-secretory activity in this preparation. 4. L-779,976 was able to inhibit secretion when applied to the luminal surface at sub-micromolar concentrations suggesting that it can cross the colonic epithelium. The anti-secretory potency of luminal L-779,976 was increased 3 fold in the presence of GF120918, a known inhibitor of P-glycoprotein. 5. Non-peptide somatostatin receptor agonists may provide a basis for the development of new, orally available anti-diarrhoeal therapies.

What is the impact of transposable elements on host genome variability?

The spread of a transposable element family through a wild population may be of astonishing rapidity. At least three families of transposable genetic elements have recently invaded Drosophila melanogaster worldwide, including the P element. The mechanism has been a process of effectively replicative transposition, and, for the P element, has occurred notwithstanding the sterility induced by unrestricted movement. This element's invasion into D. melanogaster has been accompanied by the development of heterogeneity between P sequences, most of which now have internal deletions. Increasing evidence suggests that some deleted elements can repress P transposition, thereby protecting the host from the harmful effects of complete elements. Such repressing elements may rise to high frequencies in populations as a result of selection at the level of the host. We here investigate selective sweeps invoked by the spread of P sequences in D. melanogaster populations. Numerous high-frequency sites have been identified on the X chromosome, which differ in frequency between populations, and which are associated with repression of P-element transposition. Unexpectedly, sequences adjacent to high-frequency P-element sites do not show reduced levels of genetic diversity, and DNA variability is in linkage equilibrium with the presence or absence of a P element at the adjacent selected site. This might be explained by multiple insertions or through a selection for recombination analogous to that seen in 'hitchhiking'.

Molecular and behavioral analysis of four period mutants in Drosophila melanogaster encompassing extreme short, novel long, and unorthodox arrhythmic types.

Of the mutationally defined rhythm genes in Drosophila melanogaster, period (per) has been studied the most. We have molecularly characterized three older per mutants-perT, perClk, and per04-along with a novel long-period one (perSLIH). Each mutant is the result of a single nucleotide change. perT, perClk, and perSLIH are accounted for by amino acid substitutions; per04 is altered at a splice site acceptor and causes aberrant splicing. perSLIH exhibits a long period of 27 hr in constant darkness and entrains to light/dark (L/D) cycles with a later-than-normal evening peak of locomotion. perSLIH males are more rhythmic than females. perSLIH's clock runs faster at higher temperatures and slower at lower ones, exhibiting a temperature-compensation defect opposite to that of perLong. The per-encoded protein (PER) in the perT mutant cycles in L/D with an earlier-than-normal peak; this peak in perSLIH is later than normal, and there was a slight difference in the PER timecourse of males vs. females. PER in per04 was undetectable. Two of these mutations, perSLIH and perClk, lie within regions of PER that have not been studied previously and may define important functional domains of this clock protein.

Investigation of natural genetic variation in the circadian system of Drosophila melanogaster. II. Biometrical analyses of locomotor activity rhythms recorded in constant darkness.

The locomotor activity rhythms of 24 isochromosomal strains of Drosophila melanogaster were recorded in constant conditions, using an experimental design suitable for the serial screening with so many strains using limited equipment. The data obtained were subjected to biometrical genetic analysis. The results show that four characteristics of the rhythms (period, phase, definition, and waveform) display genetically based variation in expression and that each appears to be affected by a range of genes.

An investigation of natural genetic variation in the circadian system of Drosophila melanogaster: rhythm characteristics and methods of quantification.

Variation in four characteristics of the circadian locomotor activity rhythm was investigated in 24 true-breeding strains of Drosophila melanogaster with a view to establishing methods of phenotypic measurement sufficiently robust to allow subsequent biometric analysis. Between them, these strains formed a representative sample of the genetic variability of a natural population. Period, phase, definition (the degree to which a rhythmic signal was obscured by noise), and rhythm waveform were all found to vary continuously among the strains, although within each strain the rhythm phenotype was remarkably consistent. Each characteristic was found to be sufficiently robust to permit objective measurement using several different methods of quantification, which were then compared.