Localization of Olfactory Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels in Rat Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons

Document Type

Article

Source

Endocrinology

ISSN

0013-7227

Volume

143

Issue

6

First Page

2441

Last Page

2444

Publication Date

6-2002

Department

Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Abstract

The GT1 GnRH cell lines express all three subunits of the cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels (CNG2, 4.3 and 5) expressed in olfactory neurons. We investigated using in situ hybridization and double immunofluorescence whether endogenous GnRH neurons in therat also express CNG channel subunits. Sections from male and female adult rats were hybridized with a digoxigenin-labeled riboprobe made to regions of rat GnRH, CNG2, CNG4.3 or CNG5 cDNAs. In both sexes, 70–80% of GnRH neurons contained mRNAs for CNG2, CNG4.3 and CNG5. Similarly, double immunofluorescence staining for GnRH and CNG2, CNG4.3 or CNG5 confirmed that 70–80% of GnRH perikarya contained all three CNG subunit proteins. Moreover, the distribution of the immunostaining of CNG subunits in the external layer of the median eminence overlapped with GnRH with the presence of functional cAMP-gated cation channels. The presence of CNG channel subunits in the median eminence supports the notion that coordination of the excitability of the scattered GnRH perikarya may occur at the level of the nerve terminals.

Rights

Copyright © 2002 by The Endocrine Society

Publisher Statement

This article has been accepted for publication in Endocrinology. Published by Oxford University Press.

PubMed ID

12021210

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