title: Localization of ocular albinism-1 gene product GPR143 in the rat central nervous system.
abstract: L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) has been believed to be a precursor of dopamine, and itself being an inert amino acid. Previously, we have proposed DOPA as a neurotransmitter candidate in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent findings have suggested DOPA as an endogenous agonist of a G-protein coupled receptor, ocular albinism 1 gene product (OA1), which is highly expressed in the retinal pigmental epithelium. However, whether OA1 functions as a receptor for DOPA in vivo, and whether this receptor-ligand interaction is responsible for a wide variety of DOPA actions have not been determined yet. To gain insight into the functional implication of OA1, we perform immunohistochemical examination with anti-OA1 antibody to localize OA1 in the adult rat brain. We observed OA1 immunoreactive cells in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, cerebellum cortex, striatum, substantia nigra, hypothalamic median eminence and supraoptic nucleus, nucleus tractus solitarii and caudal ventrolateral medulla and rostral ventrolateral medulla, medial habenular nucleus and olfactory bulb. This study reveals, for the first time, the unique distribution pattern of OA1-immunoreactive neurons and/or cells in the rat CNS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Daiki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Masukawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Motokazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Sciences, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan. Electronic address: goshima@med.yokohama-cu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goshima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000378:metabolism; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism*; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000591028:GPR143 protein, rat; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine
keywords: G-protein coupled receptor; Hypothalamus; Lower brain stem; Neurotransmitter; OA1; l-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine