| dc.description.abstract | The pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide
belonging to the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)/secretin/glucagon superfamily. The amino
acid sequences of PACAP show 84-100% identity in different vertebrates. Its high conservation
suggests that PACAP is involved in important physiological pathways. It plays a role in
vasodilation, immunomodulation, cytoprotection and regulation of gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular, respiratory, and reproductive processes. It also regulates insulin secretion, cell
cycle, differentiation, and cell death. The absence PACAP in knock-out (KO) animals leads to
a variety of biochemical and pathophysiological abnormalities, including endocrine disruption
and inflammation. The high levels of PACAP found in the reproductive organs have suggested
that PACAP may also play a central role in reproduction. It has been observed to affect fertility
and reproduction at several levels. It affects the production and release of gonadotropic
hormones through an autocrine and paracrine process, its expression is differentially regulated
during the cycle, and it plays an important role in regulating of the growth and differentiation of
preantral follicles. Lower implantation rates have been observed in studies using PACAP genedeficient mice. | en_US |
