Neuropeptides | Laboratory of Neurobiology

Our research in the field of neuroendocrinology focused on the role of neuropeptides, particularly of somatostatin, in the brain of gymnotiform fish. By employing immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and radioligand binding assays, we analyzed the distribution of somatostatin and its binding sites in the brain of these fishes, including the cerebellum and the central posterior/prepacemaker nucleus. We studied the postembryonic development of somatostatin immunoreactivity in the latter brain area, and we provided evidence for a non-synaptic function of this neuropeptide. We showed that somatostatin is dramatically up-regulated after lesions in the cerebellum, suggesting a function of this neuropeptide in brain regeneration. In collaboration with the laboratories of Graeme Bell (University of Chicago) and Daniel Hoyer (Novartis, Basel), we cloned the first non-mammalian somatostatin receptor, and we characterized its pharmacological properties.

Selected Publications:

Zupanc, G.K.H., Maler, L., Heiligenberg, W.: Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the region of the prepacemaker nucleus in weakly electric knifefish, Eigenmannia: a quantitative analysis. Brain Research 559, 249-260 (1991), doi:10.1016/0006-8993(91)90009-K

Zupanc, G.K.H., Okawara, Y., Zupanc, M.M., Fryer, J.N., Maler, L.: In situ hybridization of putative somatostatin mRNA in the brain of electric gymnotiform fish. NeuroReport 2 (11), 707-710 (1991), URL: http://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/Abstract/1991/11000/In_situ_hybridization _of_putative_somatostatin.19.aspx

Stroh, T., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Identification and localization of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the cerebellum of gymnotiform fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Neuroscience Letters 160, 145-148 (1993), doi:10.1016/0304-3940(93)90399-6

Zupanc, G.K.H., Cécyre, D., Maler, L., Zupanc, M.M., Quirion, R.: The distribution of somatostatin binding sites in the brain of gymnotiform fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy 7, 49-63 (1994), doi:10.1016/0891-0618(94)90007-8

Stroh, T., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Somatostatin in the prepacemaker nucleus of weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus: evidence for a nonsynaptic function. Brain Research 674, 1-14 (1995), doi:10.1016/0006-8993(94)01397-Z

Stroh, T., Zupanc, G.K.H.: The postembryonic development of somatostatin immunoreactivity in the central posterior/prepacemaker nucleus of weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus: a double-labelling study. Developmental Brain Research 93, 76-87 (1996), doi:10.1016/0165-3806(96)00003-X

Zupanc, G.K.H.: Peptidergic transmission: from morphological correlates to functional implications. Micron 27, 35-91 (1996), doi:10.1016/0968-4328(95)00028-3

Siehler, S., Zupanc, G.K.H., Seuwen, K., Hoyer, D.: Characterisation of the fish sst₃ receptor, a member of the SRIF₁ receptor family: atypical pharmacological features. Neuropharmacology 38, 449-462 (1999), doi:10.1016/S0028-3908(98)00179-8

Zupanc, G.K.H.: Up-regulation of somatostatin after lesions in the cerebellum of the teleost fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Neuroscience Letters 268, 135-138 (1999), doi:10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00299-2

Zupanc, G.K.H., Siehler, S., Jones, E.M.C., Seuwen, K., Furuta, H., Hoyer, D., Yano, H.: Molecular cloning and pharmacological characterization of a somatostatin receptor subtype in the gymnotiform fish Apteronotus albifrons. General and Comparative Endocrinology 115, 333-345 (1999), doi:10.1006/gcen.1999.7316

Siehler, S., Nunn, C., Zupanc, G.K.H., Hoyer, D.: Fish somatostatin sst₃ receptor: comparison of radioligand and GTPγS binding, adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C activities reveals different agonist-dependent pharmacological signatures. Autonomic and Autacoid Pharmacology 25, 1-16 (2005), doi:10.1111/j.1474-8673.2004.00325.x

Neuropeptides in the brain of teleost fish

Selected Publications: