The direct retinal projection to VIP neuronal elements in the rat SCN.
The connection between optic nerve terminals and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-containing neurons in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) was investigated using double labeling immunocytochemistry. Cholera toxin B subunit (CT) was injected into the right eyeball, and coronal sections of the SCN were then processed for CT immunocytochemistry with silver-gold intensification and VIP immunocytochemistry consecutively with DAB staining alone. In the ventrolateral portion of the SCN, CT immunoreactive (CT-IR) optic nerve terminals were found to make synaptic contacts not only with VIP-like immunoreactive (VIP-LI) dendrites, but also with VIP-LI perikarya. CT-IR nerve endings were also found to make synaptic contacts with non-VIP immunoreactive neuronal dendrites.
Department of Anesthesiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan.
M
M
Tanaka
Y
Y
Ichitani
H
H
Okamura
Y
Y
Tanaka
Y
Y
Ibata
D015100:3,3'-Diaminobenzidine; D000818:Animals; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry*; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000032:analysis*
D015100:3,3'-Diaminobenzidine; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D002772:Cholera Toxin