title: Neuropeptide gene expression and neural activity: assessing a working hypothesis in nucleus caudalis and dorsal horn neurons expressing preproenkephalin and preprodynorphin.
abstract: 1. The working hypothesis that neuropeptide gene expression in a neuron is an indicator of that neuron's physiological activity is discussed. 2. Representative examples from the literature are presented to support the hypothesis. 3. Further, we discuss the regulation of expression of two opioid peptides, preproenkephalin and preprodynorphin, in laminae I and II of the spinal cord and in nucleus caudalis of the trigeminal nuclear complex, where they may play a role in pain modulation. 4. The expression of the opioid peptide genes can be induced by both painful and nonnoxious stimuli in neurons in time-dependent and sensory-specific fashions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21224.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Uhl
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishimori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014278:Trigeminal Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004745:Enkephalins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C036448:pre-prodynorphin; D004399:Dynorphins; C033660:preproenkephalin