Distribution of urocortin 2 in various tissues of the rat.
Urocortin (Ucn) 2 is a new member of the corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) neuropeptide family that is expressed in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. However, the expression levels of Ucn 2 in various tissues of the rat remains unclear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to characterise the expression of Ucn 2 in the various tissues of the rat. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that Ucn 2 mRNA is expressed in the hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal, stomach, skin, ovary, uterus and skeletal muscle. Histologically, Ucn 2 mRNA and Ucn 2-like immunoreactivity (LI) were demonstrated in both the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary, but not detected in the posterior lobe. Furthermore, all Ucn 2-positive cells in the anterior and intermediate lobes were also positive for beta-endorphin. Ucn 2 mRNA was detected in the adrenal cortex and medulla although Ucn 2-LI was only found in the adrenal medulla. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal extracts showed that the main Ucn 2-LI peak occurred at the same molecular size as that of synthetic Ucn 2. These results suggest that Ucn 2 is synthesised in various tissues, including the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary and the adrenal.
Yamauchi
N
N
Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
Otagiri
A
A
Nemoto
T
T
Sekino
A
A
Oono
H
H
Kato
I
I
Yanaihara
C
C
Shibasaki
T
T
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone