Regional distribution of neuromedin K and neuromedin L in rat brain and spinal cord.
Neuromedin K and neuromedin L are novel mammalian tachykinins isolated from porcine spinal cord. We have developed a highly sensitive radioimmunoassay for neuromedin K. Since the radioimmunoassay for neuromedin K has significant crossreactivity with neuromedin L and substance P, we can simultaneously determine the tissue concentrations of neuromedin K, neuromedin L and substance P after separation of the tissue extracts by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Substance P is found to be the most abundant mammalian tachykinin in every brain region. The ratio of the concentration of substance P to neuromedin K is small in cerebral cortex and large in medulla-pons, while that of substance P to neuromedin L is rather constant in a range of 2.0-2.5. In spinal cord, dorsal half contains more neuromedin K and L than ventral half as is the case with substance P. These results indicate that both neuromedin K and L are endogenous mammalian tachykinins with specific physiological functions.
D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003429:Cross Reactions; D007106:Immune Sera; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015288:Neurokinin A; D015287:Neurokinin B; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000032:analysis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000032:analysis*; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D007106:Immune Sera; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D013373:Substance P; D015288:Neurokinin A; D015287:Neurokinin B