title: Rat basal forebrain cholinergic lesion affects neuronal nitric oxide synthase activity in hippocampal and neocortical target regions.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO)-mediated mechanisms have been assigned a role in cortical perfusion, learning and memory as well as in neuronal plasticity. Dysfunction of cortical cholinergic transmission has also been associated with reduced cortical cerebral blood flow and impaired performance in learning and memory tasks suggesting a link between the basal forebrain cholinergic system and cortical NO-mediated mechanisms. The aim of this study was therefore to study the influence of cholinergic input on neuronal NO-synthase (nNOS) activity in cortical cholinoceptive target neurons. A nearly complete loss of rat basal forebrain cholinergic cells was induced by a single intracerebroventricular application of the cholinergic immunotoxin 192IgG-saporin. Basal forebrain cholinergic hypofunction resulted in reduced catalytic and substrate binding activity of nNOS in a number of hippocampal and neocortical subregions 7 days after lesion as revealed by NADPH-diaphorase enzyme histochemistry and quantitative autoradiography of [3H]L-N(G)-nitro-arginine binding, respectively. The total amount of nNOS protein assayed by Western analysis, was not affected in the cortical and hippocampal regions examined. The data indicate that cortical cholinergic deafferentation results in reduced nNOS activity in select cholinoceptive neocortical and hippocampal neurons. As the total amount of cortical nNOS protein was not affected by basal forebrain cholinergic lesion, the results suggest that the ratio of catalytically active and inactive cortical nNOS is driven by basal forebrain cholinergic input presumably via M1-muscarinic cholinergic receptors.
authors.affiliation: Paul Flechsig Institute for Brain Research, Department of Neurochemistry, University of Leipzig, Jahnallee 59, D-04109, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hartlage-Rübsamen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schliebs
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D001345:Autoradiography; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D019579:Neocortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D019335:Nitroarginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D000076985:Saporins
chemical_list: C085696:192 IgG-saporin; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D000922:Immunotoxins; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D019335:Nitroarginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D000076985:Saporins