title: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor-immunoreactive neurons in the rat vagal and glossopharyngeal sensory ganglia; co-expression with other neurochemical substances.
abstract: Immunohistochemistry for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was performed on the rat vagal and glossopharyngeal sensory ganglia. In the jugular, petrosal and nodose ganglia, 56.1+/-5.5%, 52.4+/-9.4% and 80.0+/-3.0% of sensory neurons, respectively, were immunoreactive for BDNF. These neurons were small- to medium-sized and observed throughout the ganglia. In the solitary tract nucleus, the neuropil showed BDNF immunoreactivity. A double immunofluorescence method demonstrated that BDNF-immunoreactive neurons were also immunoreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), P2X3 receptor, the capsaicin receptor (VR1) or vanilloid receptor 1-like receptor (VRL-1) in the jugular (CGRP, 43.5%; P2X3 receptor, 51.1%; VR1, 71.7%; VRL-1, 0.5%), petrosal (CGRP, 33.2%; P2X3 receptor, 58.4%; VR1, 54.2%; VRL-1, 23.3%) and nodose ganglia (CGRP, 1.8%; P2X3 receptor, 49.1%; VR1, 70.7%; VRL-1, 11.5%). The co-expression with tyrosine hydroxylase was also detected in the petrosal (2.9%) and nodose ganglia (2.2%). However, BDNF-immunoreactive neurons were devoid of parvalbumin in these ganglia. The present findings suggest that BDNF-containing vagal and glossopharyngeal sensory neurons have nociceptive and chemoreceptive functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Function and Anatomy, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan. hiroichi@md.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Terayama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaai
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001016:Aortic Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000502:physiology*; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D017950:Ganglia, Sensory / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005924:Glomus Jugulare / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005930:Glossopharyngeal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D023421:Models, Animal; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D009620:Nodose Ganglion / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor