Immunocytochemical observation of ghrelin-containing neurons in the rat arcuate nucleus.
Ghrelin is a novel peptide that stimulates the release of growth hormone from the pituitary and is involved in hypothalamic feeding regulation. A pre-embedding immunostaining technique was used to study the ultrastructure and synaptic relationships of ghrelin-containing neurons in the rat arcuate nucleus (ARC). Ghrelin-like immunoreactive (ghrelin-LI) neurons were found in the ARC, and were especially abundant in its ventral part. At the electron microscopic level, ghrelin-LI neurons received afferent synapses from many unknown axon terminals. Ghrelin-LI products in the immunoreactive cell bodies, processes, and axon terminals were detected mainly in dense granular vesicles about 110 nm in diameter. Ghrelin-LI presynaptic axon terminals often made synapses with unknown immunonegative neurons. These results suggest that ghrelin acts to regulate food intake through synaptic connections in hypothalamic neuronal networks.
Lu
S
S
Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Guan
J-L
JL
Wang
Q-P
QP
Uehara
K
K
Yamada
S
S
Goto
N
N
Date
Y
Y
Nakazato
M
M
Kojima
M
M
Kangawa
K
K
Shioda
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D054439:Ghrelin; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013570:Synaptic Membranes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D010455:Peptides