title: Cellular and subcellular localization of the mGluR5a metabotropic glutamate receptor in rat spinal cord.
abstract: The cellular and subcellular distribution of the mGluR5a metabotropic glutamate receptor was studied in the spinal cord of the rat using an antibody raised against a mGluR5a-specific carboxy-terminal peptide. Strong mGluR5a-immunoreactivity (mGluR5a-ir) was found in the laminae I-II of the dorsal horn, which gradually decreased towards the deeper layers. At the electron microscopical level, mGluR5a-ir was present exclusively in neuronal somata and dendrites. Immunometal labelling revealed that mGluR5a-ir is concentrated at the periphery of postsynaptic densities of asymmetrical synapses or localized extrasynaptically at dendritic and somatic membranes. The mGluR5a-immunoreactive dendritic profiles were often targeted by synaptic boutons with the morphological characteristics of C-fibre terminals. These observations provide evidence for mGluR5a being involved in the nociceptive transmission at the dorsal horn.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurobiology, United Research Organization of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vidnyánszky
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hámori
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Négyessy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rüegg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Knöpfel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Görcs
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate