title: Prepro-orexin mRNA expression in the rat brain is increased during pregnancy.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether orexin expression in the rat brain was changed during pregnancy. Brain samples were obtained from 5 nonpregnant rats and 10 pregnant rats (5; day 10 of gestation, and 5; day 20 of gestation). Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was performed to investigate the expression of prepro-orexin mRNA and the housekeeping gene in the rat brain. The signals were quantified by the densitometric analysis. The distribution and expression of orexin-A and orexin-B were determined using immunohistochemistry. The ratio of the prepro-orexin mRNA expressions to the housekeeping gene expression in pregnant rat brain were significantly higher than that in nonpregnant control. There was no significant difference between prepro-orexin mRNA levels of day 10 and day 20 of gestation. Immunohistochemical staining for orexin-A and orexin-B was present in neurons within and around the lateral and posterior hypothalamic areas in both nonpregnant and pregnant rats. These results suggest that increased prepro-orexin mRNA levels at early gestational age in the maternal rat has a role on energy metabolism during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Perinatology and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University School of Medicine, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan. kane@kms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanenishi
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Momose
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuwabara
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Chubun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Okio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hino
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hata
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000068797:Orexins; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000378:metabolism*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D000068797:Orexins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone