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2008 (4)

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Dissertation
Le rôle des oestrogènes dans la différenciation sexuelle du cerveau et du comportement : étude de la souris aromatase knockout
Authors: ---
Year: 2008 Publisher: [S.l.]: [chez l'auteur],

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Keywords

Sex hormones --- physiology


Dissertation
Neuropeptidergic control of ecdysteroidogenesis in locusts
Authors: ---
ISBN: 9789086491582 Year: 2008 Publisher: Leuven Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Faculteit der Wetenschappen

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Ecdysteroiden spelen een sleutelrol bij zowel larvale als volwassen zwermsprinkhanen. Gedurende het larvale leven, fungeren deze moleculen als vervellingshormonen en worden ze, tenminste volgens de klassieke opvattingen, gesecreteerd door de prothoracale klieren (PK). Bij volwassen dieren daarentegen, waar ze worden vrijgezet door de gonaden, spelen ze een rol bij verschillende reproductie-gerelateerde processen, gaande van de differentiatie van spermatocyten tot vitellogenese. Een studie van de ultrastructuur van de PK van de woestijnsprinkhaan S. gregaria genereerde ondersteunende argumenten voor de hypothese dat ze naast ecdysteroiden ook proteïne-achtige substanties vrijzetten. De verschillen die zowel op het lichtmicroscopisch- als het ultrastructurele niveau tussen de klieren van solitaire en gregaire dieren werden waargenomen, zouden een weerspiegeling kunnen zijn van mogelijke verschillen in aard en/of hoeveelheid van deze gesecreteerde moleculen. Recent werd het bestaan van een autocriene factor (AF) gesecreteerd door de PK van B. mori aangetoond. Een gelijkaardige factor blijkt ook voor te komen in de PK van zwermsprinkhanen. Er kan dus worden verondersteld dat het voorkomen van een dergelijke factor wijdverspreid is in de insectenwereld. Veranderingen in de gevoeligheid voor het prothoracicotroop hormoon (PTTH) en deze AF werden doorheen het laatste larvale stadium van de Afrikaanse treksprinkhaan L. migratoria nagegaan. Daaruit blijkt AF vooral belangrijk te zijn voor het onderhouden van een zekere basale ecdysteroidconcentratie, terwijl het PTTH verantwoordelijk is voor de grote ecdysteroid piek noodzakelijk voor de vervelling. De combinatie van beide factoren had een cumulatief effect, wat er op zou kunnen wijzen dat ze via verschillende signaalwegen werken. De gonaden zijn de voornaamste ecdysteroidogene weefsels tijdens het volwassen stadium. We konden aantonen dat testes en ovaria van zwermsprinkhanen uit het laatste larvale stadium, die op dat moment reeds goed ontwikkeld zijn, ook ecdysteroiden secreteren. De grote ecdysteroid piek op het einde van dit stadium zou dan het gevolg zijn van de secretie van zowel gonaden als PK. Bovendien lijkt het erop dat de ecdysteroidsecretie door deze organen gereguleerd wordt door een laag moleculair-gewicht ecdysiotropine. Twee pogingen werden ondernomen om deze factor op te zuiveren en er zijn sterke aanwijzingen dat het een deel is van de adipokinetisch hormoon precursor. Tot slot kunnen we besluiten dat de zienswijze, waarbij een ‘groot PTTH’ als enige de ecdysteroidogenese reguleert, voorbijgestreefd is. Een toenemend aantal betrokken factoren wijst erop dat de situatie in de realiteit complexer is. Ecdysteroids are key players in both larval and adult locusts. During larval life, they act as moulting hormones, and they are secreted by the prothoracic glands (PGs), at least according to the classical view. In adults on the other hand, where they are secreted by the gonads, they play a role in a variety of reproductive processes ranging from spermatocyte differentiation to vitellogenesis. An ultrastructural study of the PGs of the desert locust S. gregaria gave credit to the old hypothesis that they might secrete proteinaceous substances in addition to ecdysteroids. The differences between PGs of gregarious and solitarious locusts, both at the light-microscopic as at the ultrastructural level, might reflect differences in the nature and/or amount of these secreted molecules. The existence of a factor secreted by the PGs of B. mori that stimulates their own ecdysteroidogenesis was reported recently. We have demonstrated that a similar ‘autocrine factor’ (AF) is present in the PGs of locusts. Therefore, we assume that autocrine stimulation of ecdysteroidogenesis is a widespread phenomenon in insects. Changes in responsiveness to prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) and AF were monitored throughout the last larval stadium. Apparently, AF seems to play a critical role in maintaining basal ecdysteroid secretion during the early stages of the last larval stadium, whereas PTTH elicits the major ecdysteroid peak necessary for moulting. Combination of both factors yielded a cumulative effect, suggesting that different action mechanisms and different receptors may be involved in the action of AF and PTTH. During adult life, the gonads are the main ecdysteroidogenic tissues. We demonstrated that testes and ovaries from last larval stadium migratory locusts, which are already developed quite well at that stage, also release ecdysteroids. The large ecdysteroid peak in the haemolymph at the end of the last larval stadium appears to be the result of the cumulated release by both PGs and gonads. The release of ecdysteroids by the PGs and the gonads was shown to be under the control of a single small ecdysiotropin. Two purification attempts were undertaken, and strong evidence was found that this peptide is contained within the adipokinetic hormone precursor. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that an increasing number of factors control ecdysteroidogenesis in locusts. The classical view, with the large PTTHs as the sole players controlling the PGs, has become too narrow to fully explain all involved processes.


Dissertation
Characterization of insulin-related peptides and their relation to molt and metabolism of the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei
Authors: ---
ISBN: 9789086491995 Year: 2008 Publisher: Leuven Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Faculteit Wetenschappen

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Insulin-like peptides are key regulators of metabolism, reproduction, and senescence in higher eukaryotic organisms. They have been described in different invertebrates, including nematodes, molluscs, and insects, where they form a structurally diverse group encoded by large multi-gene families. Insulin-like peptides have also been detected in some decapod crustaceans, where they may display typical insulin effects. On the basis that common biological function may be related to a similar structure, we searched for an insulin-related substance in the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and further investigated its function. A former study on adult Litopenaeus vannamei reported the presence of a peptidic factor in the CNS with the capability to stimulate Y-organ ecdysteroidogenesis in vitro. This factor was proposed to be a potential regulator of molt in crustaceans. Two attempts for its purification were undertaken starting from an extract of juvenile CNS. A partial sequence of 7 residues corresponding to a molecular mass 864.4 Da was obtained. This fragment showed sequence similarities with a peptide precursor from the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis and it could represent a form of the Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (CHH-B). The remaining bioactive material is still under analysis in order to obtain a complete sequence. An IGF-I-like molecule was detected in neurosecretory cells of the brain and thoracic ganglion in shrimps at different molt stages. This IGF-like factor seems to be contained in secretory granules. Bombyxin, the first insulin-like peptide identified in insects was isolated based on its ability to stimulate ecdysteroidogenesis in the prothoracic glands. Therefore, we investigated the effects of mammalian insulin/IGF-I on ecdysteroidogenesis in shrimp Y-organs (in vitro). We demonstrated that ILP did not differentially stimulate ecdysteroid secretion as we observed with the ecdysiotropic factor. An in vivo assay was performed to investigate the effect of ILP on carbohydrate metabolism as has been reported for lobster and crayfish. We demonstrated that injections of heterologous insulin/IGF-I increased the glycogen contents of gills and digestive gland from intermolt animals (fasting state), suggesting that an endogenous ILP may display a conserved function in decapods. The development of expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries for crustaceans and their deposition in publicly accessible databases has generated a rich resource for peptide discovery. An EST from Litopenaeus vannamei encoding a precursor similar to the Insulin-like Growth Factor binding proteins was found in this database but contained undefined bases. We cloned this precursor from hemocyte cDNA and determined that it is also expressed in gills, muscle, brain, thoracic ganglion and nerve cord. We also detected that its expression differs according to the animal’s size, suggesting a possible role in growth regulation. In conclusion, Insulin-like growth factors and binding proteins are present in the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei where they may be involved in important biological processes such as glycogenesis and growth regulation. Insulin, Insulin-like growth factors and related peptides form a family that display a wide variety of effects on cell metabolism, proliferation, and growth. The most well known function of insulin involves the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism while insulin-like growth factor-I possesses growth-promoting properties. The presence of invertebrate peptides that share significant similarities and/or biological actions with the mammalian insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) has been demonstrated by several studies. These peptides have been well characterized in the brain of insects, molluscs and nematodes. The presence of substances that display insulin-like effects and a putative insulin-like receptor have also been reported in lobsters, shrimps and crabs. Nevertheless, the current knowledge about insulin-like peptides in crustaceans is still limited and little attention has been address on it possible role in the regulation of molt increment (postmolt size enlargement). The objectives of this work were to identify an insulin-related peptide in Litopenaeus vannamei using molecular biology techniques and to determine its effects (in vivo/in vitro) on the molt process and the metabolism of the shrimp. The important findings of this research suggest that a substance similar in structure to insulin present in the shrimp promotes glycogen synthesis. In addition, a peptide precursor related to the insulin-like growth factor binding proteins is expressed in different tissues of the shrimp and maybe linked to growth inhibition.

Fifth IFIP International Conference on Theoretical Computer Science - TCS 2008 : IFIP 20th World Computer Congress, TC 1, Foundations of Computer Science, September 7-10, 2008, Milano, Italy
Authors: --- ---
ISBN: 0387096809 3540096809 0387096795 3642813917 3642813895 Year: 2008 Volume: 15 Publisher: New York, NY : Springer US : Imprint: Springer,

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International Federation for Information Processing The IFIP series publishes state-of-the-art results in the sciences and technologies of information and communication. The scope of the series includes: foundations of computer science; software theory and practice; education; computer applications in technology; communication systems; systems modeling and optimization; information systems; computers and society; computer systems technology; security and protection in information processing systems; artificial intelligence; and human-computer interaction. Proceedings and post-proceedings of refereed international conferences in computer science and interdisciplinary fields are featured. These results often precede journal publication and represent the most current research. The principal aim of the IFIP series is to encourage education and the dissemination and exchange of information about all aspects of computing. For more information about the 300 other books in the IFIP series, please visit www.springer.com. For more information about IFIP, please visit www.ifip.org. .

Keywords

Computer science --- Computer networks --- Artificial intelligence --- Lactation --- Mammary glands --- Physiology, Comparative --- Prolactin --- 591.146 --- 591.147 --- 591.146 Secretions of the mammary glands. Milk. Lactation --- Secretions of the mammary glands. Milk. Lactation --- 591.147 Internal secretions. Endocrine secretions. Hormones. Adrenalin. Insulin. Sex hormones. Androgens. Oestrogens --- Internal secretions. Endocrine secretions. Hormones. Adrenalin. Insulin. Sex hormones. Androgens. Oestrogens --- Galactin --- Galactopoietic hormone --- Lactogenic hormones --- Luteotropin --- Mammotropin --- Gonadotropin --- Pituitary hormones --- Protein hormones --- Comparative physiology --- Medicine, Comparative --- Zoology --- Breast --- Exocrine glands --- Udder --- Regulation of lactation --- Biological control systems --- Regulation --- Growth --- Hormones --- Lactation. --- Physiology. --- Computer industry. --- History. --- Information theory. --- Computer science. --- The Computer Industry. --- History of Science. --- Theory of Computation. --- The Computing Profession. --- History of Computing. --- Informatics --- Science --- Communication theory --- Communication --- Cybernetics --- Annals --- Auxiliary sciences of history --- Electronic industries --- Computers. --- Automatic computers --- Automatic data processors --- Computer hardware --- Computing machines (Computers) --- Electronic brains --- Electronic calculating-machines --- Electronic computers --- Hardware, Computer --- Computer systems --- Machine theory --- Calculators --- Cyberspace --- Pathology --- Philosophy. --- Disease (Pathology) --- Medical sciences --- Diseases --- Medicine --- Medicine, Preventive --- Professions. --- Computers --- Career patterns --- Careers --- Jobs --- Professional services --- Occupations --- Interprofessional relations --- Vocational guidance

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