title: Do tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons in the ventrolateral arcuate nucleus produce dopamine or only L-dopa?
abstract: Dopamine (DA) was early demonstrated in the arcuate nucleus by means of the formaldehyde-induced histofluorescence method. In the present study we have investigated the distribution of cell bodies in the arcuate nucleus with antisera against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) and DA. The results indicate that TH-immunoreactive cells in the dorsomedial part of the arcuate nucleus also contain immunoreactivity for both AADC and DA. However, TH-positive cells in the ventrolateral arcuate nucleus lacked AADC- and DA-immunoreactivity with the sensitivity of the present methods. The findings raise the question whether the ventrolateral cells synthesize L-DOPA or DA as endproducts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Neurobiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meister
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hökfelt
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Steinbusch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Skagerberg
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lindvall
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geffard
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Joh
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cuello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001142:Aromatic-L-Amino-Acid Decarboxylases / Q000032:analysis; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D001142:Aromatic-L-Amino-Acid Decarboxylases; D004298:Dopamine