@article{5209672cf325486dac8ddce579cc4289,
title = "A sexually dimorphic peptidergic system in the lower spinal cord controlling penile function in non-human primates",
abstract = "Study design: Experimental animal study. Objectives: Although a population of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) neurons in the lumbar spinal cord has an important role in erection and ejaculation in rats, little information exists on this GRP system in primates. To identify the male-specific GRP system in the primate spinal cord, we studied the lumbosacral cord in macaque monkeys as a non-human primate model. Setting: University laboratory in Japan. Methods: To determine the gene sequence of GRP precursors, the rhesus macaque monkey genomic sequence data were searched, followed by phylogenetic analysis. Subsequently, immunocytochemical analysis for GRP was performed in the monkey spinal cord. Results: We have used bioinformatics to identify the ortholog gene for GRP precursor in macaque monkeys. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that primate prepro-GRP is separated from that of other mammalian species and clustered to an independent branch as primates. Immunocytochemistry for GRP further demonstrated that male-dominant sexual dimorphism was found in the spinal GRP system in monkeys as in rodents. Conclusion: We have demonstrated in macaque monkeys that the GRP system in the lower spinal cord shows male-specific dimorphism and May have an important role in penile functions not only in rodents but also in primates.",
author = "T. Ito and T. Oti and K. Takanami and K. Satoh and Y. Ueda and T. Sakamoto and H. Sakamoto",
note = "Funding Information: Study design: Experimental animal study. Objectives: Although a population of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) neurons in the lumbar spinal cord has an important role in erection and ejaculation in rats, little information exists on this GRP system in primates. To identify the male-specific GRP system in the primate spinal cord, we studied the lumbosacral cord in macaque monkeys as a non-human primate model. Setting: University laboratory in Japan. Methods: To determine the gene sequence of GRP precursors, the rhesus macaque monkey genomic sequence data were searched, followed by phylogenetic analysis. Subsequently, immunocytochemical analysis for GRP was performed in the monkey spinal cord. Results: We have used bioinformatics to identify the ortholog gene for GRP precursor in macaque monkeys. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that primate prepro-GRP is separated from that of other mammalian species and clustered to an independent branch as primates. Immunocytochemistry for GRP further demonstrated that male-dominant sexual dimorphism was found in the spinal GRP system in monkeys as in rodents. Conclusion: We have demonstrated in macaque monkeys that the GRP system in the lower spinal cord shows male-specific dimorphism and may have an important role in penile functions not only in rodents but also in primates. Sponsorship: Tissues of Nihonzaru (Japanese macaque monkeys) were provided in part by National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) through the National Bio-Resource Project (NBRP) of the MEXT, Japan. This work was supported in part by KAKENHI from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (to KT; 15KK0343, 15J40220 and HS; 15K15202, 15KK0257, 15H05724). Spinal Cord (2018) 56, 57–62; doi:10.1038/sc.2017.105; published online 12 September 2017 Funding Information: We are grateful to Prof John F Morris (University of Oxford, UK) for his valuable discussion and for reading this manuscript. We thank Prof Mitsuhiro Kawata, Prof Minoru Kimura, Prof Kazuhiro Yagita, Prof Masaki Isoda and Prof Kae Nakamura for providing the fixed monkey spinal cords, their encouragement and/or critical discussion of this study. We thank Dr Yasuhisa Kobayashi, Mr Kazuhiro Saito, Mr Kei Tamura and Mr Toshitsugu Takahashi for their technical assistance. This work was supported in part by KAKENHI from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (to KT; 15KK0343, 15J40220 and HS; 15K15202, 15KK0257, 15H05724). Tissues of Nihonzaru (Japanese macaque monkeys) were provided in part by National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) through the National Bio-Resource Project (NBRP) of the MEXT, Japan. KT, TO and KS are supported by Research Fellowships of JSPS for Young Scientists.",
year = "2018",
doi = "10.1038/sc.2017.105",
language = "English",
volume = "56",
pages = "57--62",
journal = "Spinal Cord",
issn = "1362-4393",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "1",
}