title: Co-expression of alpha-CGRP and beta-CGRP mRNAs in the rat dorsal root ganglion cells.
abstract: We examined the expression of alpha-calcitonin gene-related peptide (alpha-CGRP) and beta-CGRP mRNAs in the rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) using in situ hybridization histochemistry with oligonucleotide probes. Analysis of autoradiograms showed that alpha-CGRP mRNA labeled 36.4% of all DRG neurons and beta-CGRP mRNA labeled 30.8%. Small and medium-sized neurons expressed both types of mRNA, but large neurons showed a predominance of alpha-CGRP mRNA expression. The colocalization of alpha-CGRP and beta-CGRP mRNAs was shown at a cellular level in consecutive DRG sections. Thus, we demonstrated that alpha-CGRP and beta-CGRP were distributed differently in the DRG neurons, although genes coding for these neuropeptides coexist in the small or medium-sized neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy II, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Senba
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tohyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism*; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008297:Male; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide