Met-enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 in the organ of Corti: high performance liquid chromatography and immunoelectron microscopy.
The opioid octapeptide Met-enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 (MERGL) was identified and quantified in the guinea pig cochlea using high performance liquid chromatography and a specific radioimmunoassay. The presence of MERGL immunostaining in efferent endings (coming from the brainstem) within the inner spiral bundle and the tunnel spiral bundle was demonstrated using a pre-embedding immunoelectronmicroscopic technique. Axo-dendritic synapses were observed between the MERGL immunostained varicosities and auditory dendrites. It is hypothesized that MERGL could act, together with Met-enkephalin and other pro-enkephalin A-related peptides, as an efferent neuromodulator or neurotransmitter in the organ of Corti.
D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007120:Immunochemistry; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; C033453:enkephalin-Met, Arg(6)-Gly(7)-Leu(8)-