title: Identification of the prolactin-releasing peptide-producing cell in the rat adrenal gland.
abstract: Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) is a novel peptide found in bovine hypothalamus as an endogenous ligand of an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor (hGR3). It is known that PrRP is widely distributed and plays roles in the central nervous system (CNS). In particular, PrRP acts as a neurotransmitter that mediates stress and activates the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. On the other hand, only a few studies have so far been performed on PrRP in peripheral tissues. Among peripheral tissues, appreciable levels of PrRP are found only in the adrenal gland; however, the PrRP-producing cells in the adrenal gland have not been identified. In this study, we detected PrRP mRNA in the rat adrenal medulla. So, we tried to identify the PrRP-producing cells in primary culture cells of the adrenal medulla. We found immunopositive PrRP cells among the cultured cells from the adrenal gland, but not in the adrenal gland tissue, by means of immunocytochemistry. The PrRP immunopositive cells were double positive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and for phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), which indicates that PrRP may be produced in a part of the adrenaline cells in the adrenal gland. This is the first report that PrRP is produced in the adrenaline-containing cells of the adrenal gland.
authors.affiliation: Department of Regulation Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-ohkubo, Saitama 338-0825, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yada
authors.forename: Kinji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology*; D056690:Prolactin-Releasing Hormone; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones; D009479:Neuropeptides; C534379:Prlh protein, rat; D056690:Prolactin-Releasing Hormone; D004837:Epinephrine