AVP gene

The discovery of the AVP gene first required the discovery of one of its key products: vasopressin. In 1895, G. Oliver and E.A. Schäfer found that a substance released by the pituitary gland could elevate blood pressure. The researchers noted that intravenous injection of extracts from the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, and spleen all influence blood pressure, however the effect from the pituitary had the most significant impact.[7] Almost thirty years later, Kamm and colleagues separated the components within the pituitary gland. Using a unique, five-step separation technique, Kamm revealed one substance associated with uterine contractions – oxytocin – and another substance associated with blood pressure – vasopressin.[8]

Once the discovery and separation of vasopressin occurred, subsequent research on the product's structure, function, and mode of generation could take place. In 1951, Turner and colleagues uncovered the amino acid sequence behind the hormone. The amino acid structure was composed of eight amino acids, including phenylalanine, tyrosine, proline, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine, arginine, and cystine. The structure was also found to include ammonia.[9] Following this discovery, Vincent du Vigneaud was able to synthesize a synthetic form of vasopressin in a laboratory setting. Du Vigneaud specifically noted that his final product had the same activity and composition ratios as that of naturally occurring vasopressin.[10]

The work on vasopressin ultimately allowed researchers to work backwards and identify the gene responsible for this product's generation. This final stage of research began when Gainer and colleagues found a precursor protein to vasopressin in 1977.[11] The structure of the protein was subsequently discovered by Land in 1982. By sequencing complementary DNA strands that encoded for the hormone's mRNA, Land outlined the amino acid sequence of the precursor protein.[12] Finally, one year later, Schmale, Heinsohn, and Richter isolated the AVP precursor gene in rats from their genomic library. The researchers used restriction mapping and nucleotide sequence analysis to uncover the gene's three distinct exons and the products (vasopressin, neurophysin, and glycoprotein) that each was responsible for.[13]

The AVP gene promoter region consists of an E-box element located 150 residues upstreams of the transcription start site, which binds mammalian clock proteins CLOCK and BMAL1 involved in generating circadian rhythms in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).[14] BMAL1 and CLOCK gene knockouts in the SCN (Bmal-/- and clk-/-) eliminate rhythmicity in AVP mRNA expression, confirming that binding of the protein heterodimers to the E-box element is necessary for the intrinsic circadian pattern of the AVP gene.[15] In addition to the E-box element, the promoter region of the AVP gene also contains a cAMP response element (CRE) site that is involved in gene expression regulation. Daily rhythms in the phosphorylation of the CRE binding protein (CREB) supports that these elements also contribute to circadian rhythmicity of the gene expression. CRE/CREB-mediated regulation of the AVP gene is activated through the cAMP activation of Ras signaling pathways, culminating in the MAP kinase phosphorylation of the CREB transcription factor.[14]

Transcription of the AVP gene to produce AVP mRNA has daily rhythms, with mRNA levels peaking during the subjective day and reaching their lowest point in the subject night. This rhythm is regulated by the binding of circadian proteins to the E-box, along with transcriptional regulation of other elements, including the CRE in the promoter region.[14]

AVP gene regulation is controlled by the TTFL. In this system, per2 protein is transcribed and phosphorylated by the CK1E enzyme. Accumulation of this protein inhibits the transcription factors Clock and BMAL1, so that no additional per product is created.[19] At the same time, per2 inhibits the transcription factors driving the AVP gene so that its expression and products are reduced.[18] It can be noted that AVP expression is regulated by the TTFL in the SCN but not in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) and supraoptic nucleus (SON).[20]

The transcription of the AVP gene commonly results in the binding of vasopressin to one of three vasopressin receptors: AVPR1A, AVPR1B, and AVPR2. When vasopressin binds to AVPR1A, a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), phospholipase C (PLC) becomes activated.[21][22] This pathway typically involves regulating vasoconstriction. When vasopressin binds to AVPR1B, a GPCR, the phosphatidylinositol-calcium second messenger system is stimulated. AVPR1A and AVPR1B are GPCRs that stimulate PLC to promote the production of DAG which activates PKC and IP3 and stimulates calcium ion release from the ER. This signaling pathway is important in regulating homeostasis and the amount of water, glucose, and salts within the blood via ACTH release and storage.[23] When vasopressin binds to AVPR2, another GPCR, adenylyl cyclase is stimulated. This second messenger pathway involves the regulation of ADH, or vasopressin, in the kidneys, which has an important diuretic purpose of retaining water and manipulating the concentrations of soluble toxic wastes and urea in urine.[24]

Within rats, the AVP gene is important for the regulation of various processes associated with the excretory system and smooth muscle cells. The AVP gene and arginine vasopressin are commonly colocalized with oxytocin because synaptic transmission of oxytocin regulates the expression of AVP mRNA.[25]

In one study conducted by Greenwood and colleagues, researchers found that AVP gene expression in rats is regulated by the cAMP responsive element-binding protein-3 like-1 (CREB3L1). CREB3L1 is activated when it is cleaved and when the AVP gene is translocated from the Golgi to the nucleus.[26] Additionally, CREB3L1 mRNA levels correspond with increased amounts of transcription of the AVP gene in the hypothalamus following a deficiency of sodium and as a consequence of diurnal rhythm in the SCN.[26] Both full-length and constitutively active forms of CREB3L1 (CREB3L1CA) induce the expression of rat AVP promoter-luciferase reporter constructs whereas a dominant-negative mutant reduces expression. From this study, the researchers concluded that CREB3L1 is a regulator of AVP gene transcription in the hypothalamus and specifically within the PVH and SON.

Arginine vasopressin stimulates the process of phosphorylation of aquaporin 2 (AQP2) of renal tissue which contributes to the overall increased permeability of water in the collecting duct cells of the tissue. The phosphorylation of AQP2 leads to activation of the protein kinase A signaling pathway which amplifies the permeability of water by stimulating the rat equivalent of the urea transporter 1 protein.[27]