title: Down-regulation of ACTH and glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactivity in hypothalamic arcuate neurons after adrenalectomy in the rat.
abstract: The expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in rat adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-containing neurons in rat brain was immunohistochemically investigated. ACTH-containing cell bodies were found mainly in the arcuate nucleus. Most of these neurons exhibited GR immunoreactivities in their nuclei. ACTH-containing nerve fibers were distributed in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periventricular nucleus, retrochiasmatic nucleus, parvocellular part of paraventricular nucleus and dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus. After adrenalectomy there was a marked decrease of ACTH immunoreactivity, as well as GR immunoreactivity, in neurons of the arcuate nucleus, but ACTH immunoreactivity in the fibers was not affected. These results indicate that glucocorticoids up-regulate ACTH and GR production in hypothalamic arcuate neurons, but that glucocorticoid-induced changes could be delayed in the fibers derived from these neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lion
authors.forename: C X
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steinbusch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawata
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000502:physiology*; D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005246:Feedback; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone