Morphological interaction between galanin-like peptide- and dopamine-containing neurons in the rat arcuate nucleus.
Galanin-like peptide (GALP) is a 60-amino acid neuropeptide that plays an important role in the neuronal regulation of feeding, energy balance and reproduction. GALP is produced in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, an area containing, amongst other neuron types, two populations of neurons in which we were interested: a population of GALP-containing neurons which regulate energy balance and reproduction, and a second population consisting of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons which suppress prolactin secretion from the adenohypophysis. To characterize morphologically the relationship between GALP and dopamine-containing neurons in the arcuate nucleus, a double immunofluorescence study was performed on cryosections from rat brain. Immunohistochemical double labeling studies revealed that GALP-immunoreactive nerve fibers made direct contact on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-containing neuronal cell bodies in the arcuate nucleus. These results suggest that GALP-containing neurons innervate tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons.
Kageyama
Haruaki
H
Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan.
Takenoya
Fumiko
F
Hori
Yasunori
Y
Yoshida
Takemi
T
Shioda
Seiji
S
D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D048430:Cell Shape; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D044089:Galanin-Like Peptide / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D044089:Galanin-Like Peptide; D004298:Dopamine