Comparative studies on the GABA-transaminase immunoreactivity in rat and gerbil brains.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). Degradation of GABA in the CNS is catalyzed by the action of GABA transaminase (GABA-T). However, the neuroanatomical characteristics of GABA-T in the gerbil, which is a useful experimental animal in neuroscience, are still unknown. Therefore, we performed a comparative analysis of the distribution of GABA-T in rat and gerbil brains using immunohistochemistry. GABA-T immunoreactive neurons were observed in the regions which contained GABAergic neurons of both animals: corpus striatum; substantia nigra, pars reticulata; septal nucleus; and accumbens nucleus. GABA-T + neurons were restricted to layers III and V in the rat. Unlike the rat GABA-T + neurons were observed in layers II, III, and V of the gerbil cerebral cortex. These results suggest that the expression of GABA-T in the gerbil brain may be similar to that in the rat brain, except in the cerebral cortex.
Kang
T C
TC
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chunchon, Korea.
Park
S K
SK
Bahn
J H
JH
Chang
J S
JS
Cho
S W
SW
Choi
S Y
SY
Won
M H
MH
D000612:4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005849:Gerbillinae; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013045:Species Specificity
D000612:4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase