Distribution of Rho-kinase in the bovine brain.
Rho-associated kinase (Rho-kinase) is a serine/threonine protein kinase downstream of the small GTPase Rho, which participates in signaling pathways of many cellular functions. Although Rho-kinase is implicated in the regulation of the morphology of neuronal cells, the distribution of Rho-kinase in the brain has not been elucidated yet. In this study, we investigated the distribution of Rho-kinase using three antibodies recognizing the different epitopes of Rho-kinase. Rho-kinase was abundantly expressed in the gray matter in comparison with the white matter. Strong immunoreactivity was observed in the pyramidal neurons of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and in the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. These results indicate that Rho-kinase is abundantly distributed in neurons and might play an important role in remodeling of neurites.
Hashimoto
R
R
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Osaka, Suita, 565-0871, Japan.
Nakamura
Y
Y
Kosako
H
H
Amano
M
M
Kaibuchi
K
K
Inagaki
M
M
Takeda
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D002417:Cattle; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011689:Purkinje Cells; D017966:Pyramidal Cells; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases
D000939:Epitopes; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases