title: Aspartate-immunoreactive primary sensory neurons in the mouse trigeminal ganglion.
abstract: Aspartate-immunoreactivity (ir) was examined in the mouse trigeminal ganglion (TG). The ir was detected in 34% of TG neurons and their cell bodies were of various sizes (mean +/- S.D. = 1,234 +/- 543 microm(2)). A triple immunofluorescence method revealed the co-expression of aspartate with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and parvalbumin; 22% and 14% of aspartate-immunoreactive (ir) neurons were also immunoreactive for CGRP and parvalbumin, respectively. The co-expression of aspartate with both CGRP and parvalbumin was very rare in the TG. By retrograde tracing method, half and 66% of TG neurons which innervate the vibrissa and palate, respectively, contained aspartate-ir. The co-expression of aspartate with CGRP was more common among palatal neurons (36%) compared to vibrissal neurons (22%). Aspartate-ir neurons which co-expressed parvalbumin-ir were numerous in the vibrissa (17%) but not in the palate (4%). These findings may suggest that the function of aspartate-containing TG neurons is correlated with their peripheral receptive fields.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Function and Anatomy, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8525, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Terayama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D048429:Cell Size; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000378:metabolism*; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000378:metabolism; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology; D012668:Trigeminal Ganglion / Q000166:cytology*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010320:Parvalbumins; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide