Origins and terminations of bulbospinal axons that contain serotonin and either enkephalin or substance-P in the North American opossum.
We have shown previously that some enkephalin, substance-P, and serotoninergic neurons in the medullary raphe and adjacent reticular formation project to the spinal cord in the opossum. In the present study we have combined the retrograde transport of True Blue and immunofluorescence histochemistry to determine whether methionine enkephalin or substance-P containing bulbospinal neurons are serotoninergic. Furthermore, we have used the same immunofluorescence protocol to determine whether spinal axons contain the same substances. Neurons that immunostained for both enkephalin and serotonin were observed in many brainstem nuclei. However, those that projected to the spinal cord were limited to the nuclei raphe magnus and obscurus, and the ventral part of nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis, pars ventralis. Neurons that immunostained for both substance P and serotonin were fewer in number, but some of the ones in the above nuclei and within the nucleus raphe pallidus, projected to the spinal cord. Spinal axons exhibiting both enkephalin- and serotonin-like immunoreactivity were observed in the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn, lamina X, and the intermediolateral cell column, whereas those showing both substance-P and serotonin-like immunoreactivity were seen primarily in lamina X, the intermediolateral cell column, and the ventral horn. Some of the axons in the ventral horn were in close apposition to presumed motoneurons. Comparison of the above results with those obtained from previous studies of bulbospinal projections has allowed us to infer the origins of axons that innervate different spinal targets.
Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman 99164.
V K
VK
Reddy
P
P
Cassini
R H
RH
Ho
G F
GF
Martin
D000818:Animals; D001572:Benzofurans; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004525:Efferent Pathways; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009893:Opossums / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013373:Substance P / Q000378:metabolism*
D001572:Benzofurans; D004745:Enkephalins; D012701:Serotonin; D013373:Substance P; C038675:true blue