title: Evidence for the c-ret protooncogene product (c-Ret) expression in the spinal tanycytes of adult rat.
abstract: Expression of the protein product of c-ret (c-Ret) in the spinal cord of the adult rat was examined immunohistochemically at both electron and light microscopic levels. In the cervical, thoracic and lumbar segments of the spinal cord, a large number of c-Ret immunoreactive cells were found in both ependymal and subependymal layers of the central canal. These cells were ovoid or triangular in shape and had a well developed single cytoprocess which protruded into the central canal. None of the neuropeptides and neuronal markers examined, including substance P, CGRP, galanin, neuropeptide Y, tyrosine hydroxylase, methionine-enkephalin, choline acetyltransferase and glially fibrilally acidic protein, was present in these c-Ret immunoreactive cells in the spinal cord. Ultrastructurally, a desmosome-like structure was found between the apical part of the cytoprocess and the ependymal cell. These morphological observations indicated that c-Ret positive cells are spinal tanycytes. The present results suggest that spinal tanycytes in the rat express a trophic factor receptor and may respond to GDNF in the cerebrospinal fluid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Gang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugiura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005260:Female; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila; C495001:Ret protein, rat