title: Density and neurochemical profiles of neuronal nitric oxide synthase-expressing interneuron in the mouse basolateral amygdala.
abstract: Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-expressing interneurons reside in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) of rodents. In the present study, we immunohistochemically analyzed nNOS-positive cells in the mouse BLA by focusing on their density, γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergicity, and co-localization with calcium-binding proteins and neuropeptides. The density of nNOS-containing neurons was analyzed with unbiased stereology. Experiments were conducted in both adult wild-type C57BL/6 and glutamic acid decarboxylase-green fluorescence protein (GAD67-GFP) knock-in mice, in which GFP is expressed in GABAergic neurons under the control of the endogenous GAD67gene promoter. In the BLA, the density of nNOS-positive cells was 3.92×103cells/mm3. Immunofluorescence revealed that nNOS-containing neurons constituted almost 26.93±2.36% of the GAD67-GFP neurons. Almost every nNOS-positive cell expressed glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65). Proportions of nNOS-positive interneurons that expressed calbindin, calretinin, parvalbumin, somatostatin and neuropeptide Y were approximately 5.20%, 15.63%, 26.50%, 87.50% and 88.00%, respectively; but exhibited no co-localization with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. By contrast, percentages of calbindin, calretinin, parvalbumin, somatostatin and neuropeptide Y-positive cells that expressed nNOS were approximately 1.93%, 7.25%, 25.25%, 80.25% and 87.50%, respectively. Together, these findings suggest that nNOS-expressing cells are a discrete interneuronal subpopulation in the mouse BLA and may play a functional role in the inhibitory circuitry of this brain region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, USA; Department of Physiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaona
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, China; Department of Pharmacology, Taishan Medical College, Taian, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Chunhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaochen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: zhan0001@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ren-Zhi
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Zhan
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D066272:Basolateral Nuclear Complex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D064032:Calbindin 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D064026:Calbindins / Q000378:metabolism; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D059330:GABAergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D007395:Interneurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000378:metabolism; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D064032:Calbindin 2; D064026:Calbindins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D009479:Neuropeptides; D010320:Parvalbumins; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D013004:Somatostatin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase; C401141:glutamate decarboxylase 2
keywords: Basolateral amygdala; Calcium-binding proteins; Neuronal nitric oxide synthase; Neuropeptides; γ-Aminobutyric acid