title: Reverse structure of carnosine-induced sedative and hypnotic effects in the chick under acute stress.
abstract: In the central nervous system, beta-alanine is thought to act as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, but the role or precise mechanism of beta-alanine in the brain has not been clearly defined. beta-Alanine is found in high levels in the chicken brain as a component of the dipeptides carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) and anserine, or as a free amino acid. We focused on the position of beta-alanine, i.e., at the carboxyl terminus. In Experiment 1, the central effects of glycyl-beta-alanine, L-histidyl-beta-alanine and L-valyl-beta-alanine were compared with a saline control in chicks. L-Histidyl-beta-alanine significantly induced sedative and hypnotic effects. In Experiment 2, the effects of carnosine, its reverse (L-histidyl-beta-alanine), and their combination were investigated. Central carnosine-induced hyperactivity while reverse carnosine-induced hypoactivity, and the behaviors were intermediate following the combination of the two peptides. Finally, the central effect of reverse carnosine was compared with beta-alanine alone and L-seryl-beta-alanine in Experiment 3. Reverse carnosine showed similar effects to beta-alanine. In conclusion, L-histidyl-beta-alanine not only has the reverse structure of carnosine, but also reverse function. Thus, we propose to name reverse carnosine (L-histidyl-beta-alanine) rev-carnosine.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Animal and Marine Bioresources, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuneyoshi
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.forename: Shozo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomonaga
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.forename: D Michael
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Denbow
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002336:Carnosine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015091:beta-Alanine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D015091:beta-Alanine; D002336:Carnosine