title: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive neurons in the human cervico-thoracic paravertebral ganglia.
abstract: The occurrence of CGRP-immunoreactive neurons in human paravertebral sympathetic ganglia was investigated and CGRP-immunoreactive perikarya correlated with the distribution of structures which were immunoreactive to other peptides and tyrosine hydroxylase, the key enzyme of catecholamine-synthesis. CGRP-immunoreactive neurons were present in all investigated ganglia (superior cervical ganglion, stellate ganglion, thoracic ganglia IV and VII). Most of the CGRP-immunolabelled cell bodies contained also vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-as well as somatostatin-immunoreactivity. Approximately 40 per cent of the CGRP-immunoreactive neurons were weakly tyrosine hydroxylase-immunolabelled. CGRP-immunoreactive cell bodies appear to be neither identical with the large population of neuropeptide Y-labelled perikarya nor with the large group of cell bodies which were surrounded by leuenkephalin-immunoreactive nerve fibres. Colocalization of CGRP- with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide- and somatostatin-immunoreactivity in postganglionic sympathetic neurons substantiates the suggestion of sympathetic origin of respective peptidergic nerve fibres in sweat glands.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, FRG.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kummer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heym
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide