| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
ARTICLES |
Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Harold Gainer, Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Building 36, Room 4D-20, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) are peptide hormones that are derived from genes predominantly expressed in distinct magnocellular neurons in the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei of the hypothalamus. Recent evidence suggests that some magnocellular neurons coexpress both peptides. Our qualitative RT-PCR experiments on single cells show that the majority of magnocellular neurons coexpress both peptide messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in varying amounts. Using a competitive RT-PCR method combined with a standard calibration curve, we quantitatively determined OT and VP mRNA in single magnocellular neurons from the normal female rat SON, with a detection sensitivity of less than 30 mRNA molecules/cell. We defined the phenotypes of the single magnocellular neurons according to their ratios of these two peptide mRNAs. Using this approach, we identified three major phenotypes: oxytocin neurons, where the average OT to VP mRNA ratio is about 256; vasopressin neurons, where the average VP to OT mRNA ratio is about 182; and one oxytocin/vasopressin coexisting neuron, where the OT/VP mRNA ratio is 2. Thus, there is some OT and VP mRNA coexpression in virtually all of the magnocellular neurons in supraoptic nuclei of hypothalamus. However, clear phenotypes are identifiable by considering quantitative as opposed to qualitative differences.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  F. R. Carreno, L. L. Ji, and J. T. Cunningham Altered central TRPV4 expression and lipid raft association related to inappropriate vasopressin secretion in cirrhotic rats Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, February 1, 2009; 296(2): R454 - R466. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. D. Hoyda, M. Fry, R. S. Ahima, and A. V. Ferguson Adiponectin selectively inhibits oxytocin neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus J. Physiol., December 15, 2007; 585(3): 805 - 816. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Qiu, S. Yao, C. Hindmarch, V. Antunes, J. Paton, and D. Murphy Transcription Factor Expression in the Hypothalamo-Neurohypophyseal System of the Dehydrated Rat: Upregulation of Gonadotrophin Inducible Transcription Factor 1 mRNA Is Mediated by cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase A J. Neurosci., February 28, 2007; 27(9): 2196 - 2203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Y. Ueta, H. Fujihara, R. Serino, G. Dayanithi, H. Ozawa, K.-i. Matsuda, M. Kawata, J. Yamada, S. Ueno, A. Fukuda, et al. Transgenic Expression of Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein Enables Direct Visualization for Physiological Studies of Vasopressin Neurons and Isolated Nerve Terminals of the Rat Endocrinology, January 1, 2005; 146(1): 406 - 413. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. C. Xiang, E. Mezey, M. Chen, S. Key, L. Ma, and M. J. Brownstein Using DSP, a reversible cross-linker, to fix tissue sections for immunostaining, microdissection and expression profiling Nucleic Acids Res., December 16, 2004; 32(22): e185 - e185. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Shevchenko, R. Teruyama, and W. E. Armstrong High-Threshold, Kv3-Like Potassium Currents in Magnocellular Neurosecretory Neurons and Their Role in Spike Repolarization J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2004; 92(5): 3043 - 3055. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. T. Berciano, N. T. Villagra, J. L. Ojeda, J. Navascues, A. Gomes, M. Lafarga, and M. Carmo-Fonseca Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy-like nuclear inclusions are present in normal magnocellular neurosecretory neurons of the hypothalamus Hum. Mol. Genet., April 15, 2004; 13(8): 829 - 838. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. ANTUNES-RODRIGUES, M. DE CASTRO, L. L. K. ELIAS, M. M. VALENCA, and S. M. McCANN Neuroendocrine Control of Body Fluid Metabolism Physiol Rev, January 1, 2004; 84(1): 169 - 208. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Yamashita, E. Glasgow, B.-J. Zhang, K. Kusano, and H. Gainer Identification of Cell-Specific Messenger Ribonucleic Acids in Oxytocinergic and Vasopressinergic Magnocellular Neurons in Rat Supraoptic Nucleus by Single-Cell Differential Hybridization Endocrinology, November 1, 2002; 143(11): 4464 - 4476. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B.-J. Zhang, K. Kusano, P. Zerfas, A. Iacangelo, W. S. Young III, and H. Gainer Targeting of Green Fluorescent Protein to Secretory Granules in Oxytocin Magnocellular Neurons and Its Secretion from Neurohypophysial Nerve Terminals in Transgenic Mice Endocrinology, March 1, 2002; 143(3): 1036 - 1046. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. P. H. Burbach, S. M. Luckman, D. Murphy, and H. Gainer Gene Regulation in the Magnocellular Hypothalamo-Neurohypophysial System Physiol Rev, July 1, 2001; 81(3): 1197 - 1267. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. J. Grindstaff, R. R. Grindstaff, and J. T. Cunningham Baroreceptor sensitivity of rat supraoptic vasopressin neurons involves noncholinergic neurons in the DBB Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, November 1, 2000; 279(5): R1934 - R1943. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Glasgow, K. Kusano, H. Chin, E. Mezey, W. S. Young, and H. Gainer Single Cell Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis of Rat Supraoptic Magnocellular Neurons: Neuropeptide Phenotypes and High Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Subtypes Endocrinology, November 1, 1999; 140(11): 5391 - 5401. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Endocrinology | Endocrine Reviews | J. Clin. End. & Metab. |
| Molecular Endocrinology | Recent Prog. Horm. Res. | All Endocrine Journals |
