Immunohistochemical evidence for coexistence of methionine-enkephalin and tyrosine hydroxylase in neurons of the locus coeruleus complex projecting to the spinal cord of the cat.
Previous studies have revealed the presence of pontospinal neurons with either methionine-enkephalin- or tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity in the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum of the cat. Using a combined fast blue retrograde transport technique and simultaneous immunofluorescence histochemistry, the present study was designed to reveal the coexistence of enkephalin and tyrosine hydroxylase in cat coerulospinal neurons and to determine if and to what extent the coerulospinal pathway is heterogeneous. Fast blue-labelled neurons with tyrosine hydroxylase- and enkephalin-like immunoreactivities were found in the nucleus locus coeruleus, nucleus subcoeruleus, Kölliker-Fuse nucleus, and the medial and lateral parabrachial nuclei. Approximately 87% of tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactive neurons had enkephalin-like immunoreactivity, whereas about 76% of the enkephalin-like immunoreactive neurons had tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity. About 71% of all coerulospinal neurons exhibited both tyrosine hydroxylase- and enkephalin-like immunoreactivities. These findings indicate that coerulospinal activity may lead to spinal cord effects reflecting both norepinephrine and enkephalin activity in most cases but do not rule out each transmitter's isolated functions.
Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-6520.
H
H
Zhuo
S J
SJ
Fung
V K
VK
Reddy
C D
CD
Barnes
D000578:Amidines; D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D002415:Cats; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism*
D000578:Amidines; C031455:diamidino compound 253-50; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D009638:Norepinephrine