Immunohistochemical analyses of thyroid-specific enhancer-binding protein in the fetal and adult rat hypothalami and pituitary glands.
Thyroid-specific enhancer-binding protein (T/EBP), also known as NKX2.1 or TTF-1, regulates the expression of thyroid- and lung-specific genes. The t/ebp/Nkx2.1-null mutant mouse was stillborn but lacked the thyroid gland, pituitary gland, ventral region of the forebrain and normal lungs. These data demonstrated that T/EBP/NKX2.1 plays an important role not only in tissue-specific gene expressions in adults but also in genesis of these organs during development. Although the expression of t/ebp/Nkx2.1 in the brain has been reported, its function in the brain remains unknown. The present study was designed to determine the localization of T/EBP/NKX2.1 in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland of fetal and adult rats by immunohistochemistry as the first step toward understanding the function of T/EBP/NKX2.1 in the rat brain. In the fetal rat hypothalamus, T/EBP/NKX2.1 was localized widely in the ventral hypothalamic areas. In the adult rat brain, T/EBP/NKX2.1 was localized in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, medial tuberal nucleus, arcuate nucleus and mammillary body. No T/EBP/NKX2.1 immunoreactivity was observed in the anterior or intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland in either fetal or adult rats. On the other hand, immunoreactive T/EBP/NKX2.1 was found in the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. This paper presents results of detailed analyses of the distributions of T/EBP/NKX2.1 protein in the fetal and adult rat hypothalami and pituitary glands, and these results should provide important information for understanding the function of T/EBP/NKX2.1 in the brain.
Nakamura
K
K
Department of Regulation-Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Ohkubo, Urawa, Saitama 338-8570, Japan.
Kimura
S
S
Yamazaki
M
M
Kawaguchi
A
A
Inoue
K
K
Sakai
T
T
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D005333:Fetus / Q000737:chemistry; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development*; D007033:Hypothalamus, Middle / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008326:Mammillary Bodies / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000074482:Thyroid Nuclear Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis*; D014697:Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development
C000614414:Nkx2-1 protein, mouse; C000614416:Nkx2-1 protein, rat; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000074482:Thyroid Nuclear Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors