title: A vitamin A-free diet results in impairment of the rat hippocampal somatostatinergic system.
abstract: Previous studies have revealed the presence of retinoid specific receptors in the hippocampus and have demonstrated that vitamin A deficiency produces a severe deficit in spatial learning and memory which are linked to a proper hippocampal functioning. It is also well known that the tetradecapeptide somatostatin binds to specific receptors in the hippocampus and, when injected into this brain area, facilitates the acquisition of spatial tasks. In addition, depletion of somatostatin by cysteamine impairs acquisition of these tasks. Taken together, these studies support the idea that the hippocampal somatostatinergic system might be regulated by vitamin A. Hence, we evaluated the effects of vitamin A deprivation and subsequent administration of vitamin A on the rat hippocampal somatostatinergic system. Rats fed a vitamin A-free diet exhibited a significant reduction of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity content in the hippocampus whereas the somatostatin mRNA levels were unaltered. Vitamin A deficiency increased the somatostatin receptor density and its dissociation constant. Functional Gi activity as well as the capacity of somatostatin to inhibit basal and forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity was decreased in vitamin A deficiency rats as compared with the control animals. All these parameters were fully restored when vitamin A was replaced in the diet. Furthermore, we found that the Gialpha1, Gialpha2 and Gialpha3 protein levels were unaltered in hippocampal membranes from rats fed a vitamin A-free diet whereas subsequent vitamin A administration to these rats caused a significant increase in the levels of Gialpha1 and Gialpha2. Altogether, the present findings suggest that dietary vitamin A levels modulate the somatostatinergic system in the rat hippocampus.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Neurobioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,6, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hernández-Pinto
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Neurobioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,6, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puebla-Jiménez
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Neurobioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,6, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: lilian.puebla@uah.es.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arilla-Ferreiro
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005526:Food, Formulated / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D011869:Radioligand Assay / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; D014801:Vitamin A; D005576:Colforsin; D013004:Somatostatin; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases