Glutamate in spinally projecting neurons of the rostral ventral medulla.
Phosphate activated glutaminase (PAG), an enzyme of glutamate synthesis, was localized by immunohistochemistry in all PNMT-immunoreactive and all serotonin-immunoreactive neurons in the rostral ventral medulla of the rat. Between 71 and 83% of bulbospinal neurons localised in the rostral ventral medulla projecting to the intermediolateral cell column in the upper thoracic spinal cord contained PAG immunoreactivity. Of these bulbospinal PAG-immunoreactive neurons 17-27% contained PNMT immunoreactivity and 9-16% contained serotonin immunoreactivity. Other bulbospinal PAG-immunoreactive neurons (60-70%) contained neither PNMT- nor serotonin immunoreactivity. The results provide anatomical evidence suggestive of a glutamatergic input to the sympathetic preganglionic neurons of the spinal cord arising from different populations of neurons located in the rostral ventral medulla.
Department of Medicine and Centre for Neuroscience, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide.
J
J
Minson
P
P
Pilowsky
I
I
Llewellyn-Smith
T
T
Kaneko
V
V
Kapoor
J
J
Chalmers
D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D005971:Glutamates / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005972:Glutaminase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007395:Interneurons / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
D005971:Glutamates; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase; D005972:Glutaminase