Neuropeptidome of the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland of Indicine × Taurine Heifers: Evidence of Differential Neuropeptide Processing in the Pituitary Gland before and after Puberty

Abstract

Puberty in cattle is regulated by an endocrine axis, which includes a complex milieu of neuropeptides in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The neuropeptidome of hypothalamic-pituitary gland tissue of pre- (PRE) and postpubertal (POST) Bos indicus-influenced heifers was characterized, followed by quantitative analysis of 51 fertility-related neuropeptides in these tissues. Comparison of peptide abundances with gene expression levels allowed assessment of post-transcriptional peptide processing. On the basis of classical cleavage, 124 mature neuropeptides from 35 precursor proteins were detected in hypothalamus and pituitary gland tissues of three PRE and three POST Brangus heifers. An additional 19 peptides (cerebellins, PEN peptides) previously reported as neuropeptides that did not follow classical cleavage were also identified. In the pre-pubertal hypothalamus, a greater diversity of neuropeptides (25.8%) was identified relative to post-pubertal heifers, while in the pituitary gland, 38.6% more neuropeptides were detected in the post-pubertal heifers. Neuro-tissues of PRE and POST heifers revealed abundance differences ( p < 0.05) in peptides from protein precursors involved in packaging and processing (e.g., the granin family and ProSAAS) or neuron stimulation (PENK, CART, POMC, cerebellins). On their own, the transcriptome data of the precursor genes could not predict the neuropeptide profile in the exact same tissues in several cases. This provides further evidence of the importance of differential processing of the neuropeptide precursors in the pituitary before and after puberty.

Fifteen Shades of Grey: Combined Analysis of Genome-Wide SNP Data in Steppe and Mediterranean Grey Cattle Sheds New Light on the Molecular Basis of Coat Color

“…Such a large geographic distribution may be consistent with known ancient migration and admixture events during dispersal of cattle out of the domestication center [17,18,20,[55][56][57][58][59][60][61] as well as more recent historical migrations between Asia and Europe and in the Mediterranean [27,62], although admixture phenomena among wild taurine and zebuine progenitors may not be ruled out. Interestingly, we found that several of the candidate genes on BTA14 (XKR4, TMEM68, TGS1, LYN, CHCHD7, SDR16C5, PENK, TOX, RPS20, PLAG1) had been previously reported to harbor signals of selection/association in taurine/zebuine composite populations or zebuine breeds [63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78]. This evidence possibly supports the speculation that pigment-related gene variants and phenotypes in grey taurine cattle may represent a heritage of zebuine origin, despite the fact that, for PLAG1, an allele with major effects on body size, weight, and reproduction has been shown to be a >1000 year-old-derived allele that increased rapidly in frequency in Northwestern European B. taurus between the 16th and 18th centuries, and that was hence introgressed, towards the 19th and 20th centuries, into non-European B. taurus and Bos indicus breeds likely to increase the stature of modern cattle [79,80].…”

Impact of Cold Exposure on the Reproductive Function in Female Rats

“…Thus, we speculated that the alterations in the levels of serums progesterone may be related to the damage in the uterus, and the change in the levels of serums LH may be associated with the irregularity of the estrus cycle and ovarian abnormalities. However, the hormones are interrelated and interact with each other, and mammalian hormones are also controlled by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, presenting the complexity of the female reproductive system [34, 35].…”

In-depth characterization of the pituitary transcriptome in Simmental and Chinese native cattle

“…The pituitary is a key organ modulating animal postnatal growth. Previous studies have characterized the transcriptome and neuropeptidome of the pituitary gland in pre-and post-pubertal Brahman and Brangus heifers [10][11][12]…”

“…However, the similar transcription levels of these hormone genes does not mean their similar functions. A recent study revealed that the transcription levels of POMC and SCG2 genes were similar in the pituitary glands of pre-and post-pubertal Brangus heifers, but their protein levels were much different [12]. Numerous reports demonstrated that mRNA transcript abundances can only explain ~40% of the variance in protein levels [34,35].…”