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Endocrinology Vol. 141, No. 2 794-801
Copyright © 2000 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Central Administration of Cocaine-Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Activates Hypothalamic Neuroendocrine Neurons in the Rat

Niels Vrang, Philip J. Larsen, Peter Kristensen and Mads Tang-Christensen

Department of Medical Anatomy, University of Copenhagen (N.V., P.J.L., M.T.-C.), Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 Copenhagen; and Department of Histology, Novo Nordisk A/S (P.K., M.-T.C.), 2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Niels Vrang, M.D., Department of Medical Anatomy, B, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. E-mail: n.vrang{at}mai.ku.dk


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
We have recently shown that intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of the hypothalamic neuropeptide cocaine-amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) inhibits food intake and induces the expression of c-fos in several nuclei involved in the regulation of food intake. A high number of CART-induced c-Fos-positive nuclei in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus prompted us to examine the effect of icv recombinant CART-(42–89) on activation of CRH-, oxytocin-, and vasopressin-synthesizing neuroendocrine cells in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). In addition, plasma levels of glucose were examined after central administration of CART-(42–89). Seventy-six male Wistar rats were fitted with icv cannulas and singly housed under 12-h light, 12-h dark conditions. One week postsurgery the animals were injected icv in the morning with 0.5 µg recombinant CART-(42–89) or saline. Trunk blood was collected by decapitation at 0 (baseline), 10, 20, 40, 60, 120, or 240 min. CART caused a strong increase in circulating corticosterone that was significantly different from saline at 20, 40, 60, and 120 min postinjection (P < 0.05). Furthermore, CART caused a transient rise in plasma oxytocin levels (P < 0.05 at 10 and 20 min postinjection), whereas plasma vasopressin levels were unaffected by icv CART. Animals injected icv with CART showed a rise in blood glucose levels 10 min postinjection (P < 0.05). To examine whether the stimulatory effect of icv CART on corticosterone and oxytocin secretion is caused by activation of paraventricular nucleus/supraoptic nucleus (PVN/SON) neuroendocrine neurons, we used c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activity. Animals injected with CART showed a strong increase in c-Fos-immunoreactive nuclei in the PVN. Double immunohistochemistry revealed that a high (89 ± 0.4%) number of CRH-immunoreactive neurons in the PVN contained c-Fos after CART icv. c-Fos expression was also observed in oxytocinergic cells (in both magnocellular and parvicellular PVN neurons as well as in the supraoptic nuclei) 120 min after CART administration, whereas none of the vasopressinergic neurons contained c-Fos. Triple immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that CART-immunoreactive fibers closely apposed c-Fos-positive CRH neurons, suggestive of a direct action of CART on PVN CRH neurons. In summary, icv CART activates central CRH neurons as well as both magnocellular (presumably neurohypophysial) and parvicellular (presumably descending) oxytocinergic neurons of the PVN. The effect of CART on CRH neurons most likely leads to corticosterone secretion from the adrenal gland, which may contribute to the inhibitory effects of CART on feeding behavior.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
MAJOR ADVANCES in our understanding of hypothalamic integration and influence on endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral aspects of homeostasis have been achieved during the last decades with the discovery of numerous neuropeptides with distinct hypothalamic locations. Cocaine-amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) is a recently discovered peptide that has been added to the growing list of neuropeptides with an overall effect on feeding behavior (1, 2).

CART mRNA was originally isolated by PCR differential display techniques from rat striatum as a mRNA acutely up-regulated by cocaine and amphetamine administration (3). In the untreated rat, however, the majority of CART-synthesizing cells are found in the hypothalamus (3, 4, 5). Also, CART mRNA is expressed in the brain stem and spinal cord (3, 6), the anterior pituitary gland (6), the adrenal gland (6), and D cells in the pancreatic islet of Langerhans (7), pointing to widespread roles of CART in neuroendocrine and endocrine regulation. Based on the cDNA sequence, the rat CART gene yields two different transcripts (3) encoding either a short (89 residues) or a long (102 residues) peptide. However, after purification and isolation of CART peptide from different rat tissues, only forms of the short peptide were found (8). The processing of CART seems to be tissue specific, in that hypothalamic and pituitary extracts contain CART-(42–89) and CART-(49–89), whereas adrenal extracts contain CART-(1–89) and CART-(10–89) (8).

We have recently identified a naturally occurring form of hypothalamic CART involved in regulating food intake, as intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of recombinant CART-(42–89) inhibits food intake in the rat (1, 9). Also, it has been reported that a synthetic peptide fragment of CART inhibits food intake in rats (10). Supporting a physiological role for CART peptides in regulating feeding behavior is the observation that CART mRNA levels in the arcuate nucleus (Arc) are influenced by metabolic state, in that fasting reduces the expression of CART in the Arc (1). Also, in animal models of impaired leptin signaling (ob/ob and db/db mice), CART expression in the Arc is virtually absent. Leptin treatment of ob/ob mice partially restores CART expression in the Arc, suggesting that these neurons may participate in central pathways mediating the effects of leptin on feeding, thyroid, and gonadal axis (1). The complexity of the neurocircuitry underlying the anorectic properties of CART is emphasized by the observation that the majority of CART-containing neurons in the Arc also synthesize POMC (5, 11), whereas CART-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area costore melanin-concentrating hormone (5). The POMC-derived peptide {alpha}MSH has been shown to inhibit food intake, whereas melanin-concentrating hormone stimulates food intake (12, 13).

As the CART receptor remains to be identified, we have mapped potential central sites of action of CART using the immediate early gene c-fos as a marker of neuronal activity (9). Central administration of CART-(42–89) induced c-Fos immunoreactivity in several hypothalamic and brain stem nuclei that play a role in autonomic and endocrine regulation, including the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) (9). Notably, CART induced expression of c-Fos immunoreactivity in areas of the PVN housing both magnocellular neurosecretory neurons as well as hypophysiotropic CRH neurons (9). These data prompted us to investigate the effects of CART on the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis as well as on the secretion of the neurosecretory peptides vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT). In addition, we have characterized phenotypically (by double and triple immunohistochemistry) the hypothalamic neurons activated by central administration of recombinant CART (42–89).


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Animals and surgery
Ninety male Wistar rats, weighing 200–250 g at the time of surgery, were used for the experiments. The animals were kept on a 12-h light, 12-h dark cycle (lights on at 0600 h) in a temperature-controlled environment (22–24 C) with free access to food and water. All experiments were conducted in accordance with internationally accepted principles for the care and use of laboratory animals and were approved by the Danish committee for animal research. At the time of surgery, the animals were anesthetized with tribromethanol (Avertin, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ; 50 mg/kg) and fitted with a 22-gauge guide cannula aimed at the right lateral ventricle. Coordinates were 1 mm posterior, 1.3 mm lateral to the bregma, and 4 mm below the dural surface. After surgery, animals were transferred to individual cages and handled daily during the 7-day recovery period.

Exp 1: effect of CART icv on hormone secretion and blood glucose
Intracerebroventricular injections of CART or vehicle were performed in the morning (between 0800–0900 h) to freely moving conscious rats. Animals were injected with either 5 µl vehicle (KPBS; 50 mM PBS containing 0.02% potassium) or 0.5 µg CART dissolved in 5 µl vehicle. Animals killed at time zero were not injected and served as baseline controls. The dose of CART was chosen on the basis of its ability to significantly inhibit food intake (5). At 10, 20, 40, 60, 120, and 240 min after the injection of vehicle or CART-(42–89), animals were decapitated, and trunk blood was collected in heparinized plastic tubes. Blood glucose was measured in tail blood obtained from rats immediately before decapitation (One Touch, Johnson & Johnson, Miopitas, CA). The timespan from removal of the animals from their home cages to decapitation was approximately 1 min. Blood samples were centrifuged (3000 rpm for 10 min), and plasma was frozen until analysis of OT, AVP, and corticosterone was performed. Plasma corticosterone was measured using a commercially available RIA kit (Corticosterone rat, Diagnostic Products, San Diego, CA). AVP and OT were measured by RIA of plasma extracted by means of C18 Sep-Pak (Waters Corp., Milford, MA) cartridges according to a previously described procedure (14). Synthetic AVP (mol wt, 1083; Peninsula Laboratories, Inc., Belmont, CA) and synthetic OT (mol wt, 1006; Peninsula Laboratories, Inc., Belmont, CA) served as reference preparations. For the AVP assay, the least detectable quantity was 0.1–0.3 pmol/liter plasma, and the intra- and interassay coefficients of variations were 8% and 12%, respectively. For the OT assay the least detectable quantity was 4–6 pmol/liter plasma, and the intra- and interassay coefficients of variations were 8% and 12%, respectively.

Exp 2: c-Fos induction
On the day of the study, rats were injected icv with either vehicle or 0.5 µg CART in 5 µl vehicle, and food was removed from the cages (injections performed in the morning between 0800–0900 h). Initial experiments showed no differences in the pattern of c-Fos-ir in either the SON or the PVN across time (60–240 min postinjection) (9). We therefore arbitrarily chose the 120 min point in the present study. At 120 min after injection animals were anesthetized and perfused transcardially, first with heparinized (15,000 IU/liter) KPBS, followed by Stephanini fixative (2% paraformaldehyde in KPBS containing picric acid, pH 7.4) for 10 min. After removal and 24 h of postfixation in the same fixative, the brains were transferred to 30% sucrose for 2 days before being cut in the coronal plane (6 series of 40-µm thick sections) on a freezing microtome.

Immunohistochemistry
All reactions were carried out on free floating sections. The protocol and data for single immunohistochemistry for c-Fos have been described in detail previously (5). The double staining procedure used to visualize c-Fos and OT or c-Fos and AVP was performed by combining monoclonal antibodies to OT- or AVP-associated neurophysins diluted 1:100 (provided by Dr. Harold Gainer) with a rabbit polyclonal antibody to c-Fos diluted 1:1000 (94012; characterized in Ref. 15). A standard immunohistochemical procedure was employed (5). OT and AVP were visualized using a fluorescence isothiocyanate-conjugated antimouse antibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc., West Grove, PA), and the c-Fos-ir elements were visualized by a sandwich technique using first a biotinylated antirabbit antibody (Zymed Laboratories, Inc., San Francisco, CA) followed by streptavidin-conjugated Texas Red (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Aylesbury, UK). The double staining procedure used to visualize CART and OT and that used for CART and AVP were identical, except that a polyclonal rabbit CART antibody [raised against CART-(49–89)] was used in conjunction with the above-mentioned monoclonal antibodies to OT and AVP neurophysins. Characterization of both CART-recognizing antibodies has been described previously (5).

In brief, the triple immunohistochemical procedure used to visualize CRH, CART, and c-Fos simultaneously was as follows. After rinses in KPBS and blocking in 5% normal swine serum, sections were incubated overnight at 4 C in a cocktail of the primary antibodies. The primary antibodies were diluted in KPBS containing 0.3% Triton X-100 and 1% BSA [sheep anti-CRH diluted 1:25000 (a gift from Dr. Wylie Vale), rabbit anti c-Fos diluted 1:200, and mouse anti-CART diluted 1:100]. After rinses in KPBS containing 0.25% BSA and 0.1% Triton X-100 (KPBS-BT), the sections were incubated for 1 h in a biotinylated antisheep antibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc., West Grove, PA), rinsed three times for 10 min each time in KPBS-BT followed by 1 h in an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (Vector Elite Kit, Vector Laboratories, Inc., Burlingame, CA) diluted 1:250 in KPBS-BT. After three 10-min washes in KPBS-BT the sections were incubated in biotinylated tyramide (NEN Life Science Products, Boston, MA; TSA-indirect kit). After rinses in KPBS-BT, the sections were finally incubated for 60 min at room temperature in a mixture of streptavidin-conjugated Cy2 (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech; 1:250, to visualize CRH-ir), Texas Red-conjugated antirabbit antibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc.; 1:100 to visualize c-Fos-ir), and a Cy5-conjugated antimouse antibody (1:100 to visualize CART-ir).

Sections from the double and triple labeling reactions were subsequently mounted in Glycergel (Dakopatts, Copenhagen, DK) and examined with a Carl Zeiss confocal microscope (LSM 510, Carl Zeiss, New York, NY). Image-editing software (Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator) were used to combine acquired images into plates that subsequently were printed on a Kodak dye sublimation printer (Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, NY).

Cell counts and quantification
As the number of c-Fos-ir nuclei in vehicle-injected animals was very low in both the SON (0.5 ± 0.3 vs. 26.9 ± 5.0, vehicle vs. CART) and PVN (8.3 ± 1.9 vs. 195.7 ± 21.8, vehicle vs. CART), counting was performed only on material from CART-treated animals. A cell was counted only if it had a clearly labeled cell body surrounding a nucleus. So as not to count all cells from each animal containing the individual transmitters, counting was performed on sections from identical rostro-caudal levels, making direct comparison between animals possible. For all areas the number of immunoreactive cells and double labeled cells were counted bilaterally on one section per animal, and a mean value for one side was calculated (n = 6 for all areas and transmitters). In the SON, counting of OT, AVP, and CART was performed at the level of the suprachiasmatic nucleus [corresponding to level 22 in the atlas by Swanson (16)]. The OT neurons in the anterior magnocellular PVN were counted at approximately the same level. The CRH-ir neurons were counted at the level of the core of the posterior magnocellular nucleus (level 26) (16). This level was also chosen for quantification of AVP and OT in the posterior magnocellular PVN as well as OT neurons in the dorsal parvicellular PVN.

Statistics
Statistical evaluation of the experiments used two-way ANOVA followed by Fisher’s post-hoc analysis. Values (hormone concentrations, number of immunoreactive cells, percent colocalization) are expressed as the mean ± SEM. P < 0.05 was considered significant.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
CART-induced hormone secretion
As shown in Fig. 1Go, central administration of 0.5 µg CART caused a robust increase in circulating corticosterone. The increase was significantly different from the effect of vehicle 20 min after the injection (Fig. 1Go; 426 ± 33 vs. 71 ± 16 ng/ml; CART vs. vehicle) and remained elevated during the first 2 h of the observation period (Fig. 1Go; 40 min, 565 ± 15 vs. 55 ± 17 ng/ml; 60 min, 562 ± 167 vs. 67 ± 30 ng/ml; 120 min, 568 ± 17 vs. 44 ± 10 ng/ml; CART vs. vehicle). Four hours after icv injection of 0.5 µg CART plasma corticosterone levels declined to baseline levels (Fig. 1Go: 55 ± 21 vs. 37 ± 11; CART vs. vehicle). CART significantly increased circulating OT 10 and 20 min after the injection (Fig. 2aGo; 10 min, 48.3 ± 14.1 vs. 12.8 ± 2.2 pg/ml; 20 min, 48.1 ± 11 vs. 13.2 ± 2.2 pg/ml), whereas no effect was seen on plasma levels of AVP (Fig. 2bGo). As shown in Fig. 3Go, CART caused a transient increase in blood glucose significantly different from that in vehicle-injected animals only at 10 min (6.2 ± 0.2 vs. 5.1 ± 0.1; CART vs. vehicle).



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Figure 1. Time course of the effect of central administration of 0.5 µg CART-(42–89) on plasma corticosterone. Data are shown as the mean ± SEM (10 min, n = 6; 20 min, n = 10; 40, 60, and 120 min, n = 5; 240 min, n = 8). Asterisks indicate significant differences between CART and vehicle groups (P < 0.05, significance level determined by ANOVA followed by Fischer’s post-hoc analysis).

 


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Figure 2. Time course of the effect of central administration of 0.5 µg CART-(42–89) on blood oxytocin (a) and vasopressin (b). Data are shown as the mean ± SEM (10 min, n = 6; 20 min, n = 10; 40, 60, and 120 min, n = 5; 240 min, n = 8). Asterisks indicate significant differences between CART and vehicle groups (P < 0.05, significance level determined by ANOVA followed by Fischer’s post-hoc analysis).

 


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Figure 3. Time course of the effect of central administration of 0.5 µg CART-(42–89) on blood glucose levels. Data are shown as the mean ± SEM (10 min, n = 6; 20 min, n = 10; 40, 60, and 120, n = 5; 240 min, n = 8). Asterisks indicate significant differences between CART and vehicle groups (P < 0.05, significance level determined by ANOVA followed by Fischer’s post-hoc analysis).

 
CART-induced c-Fos expression in immunohistochemically identified neurons
Central administration of CART induced a pattern of c-Fos expression in several hypothalamic and brain stem structures identical to that previously reported (9). In the PVN, CART induced c-Fos in both parvicellular and magnocellular subnuclei. All parvicellular subnuclei of the PVN were found to express c-Fos after icv CART. The highest number of c-Fos-ir nuclei was found in the medial parvicellular PVN in a pattern resembling the distribution of CRH-ir parvicellular hypophysiotropic neurons. Also, c-Fos-ir elements were found in the anterior magnocellular subnucleus of the PVN as well as in the perimeter of the posterior magnocellular subnucleus. In the SON the majority of c-Fos-ir cells were located in the dorso-lateral aspect of the nucleus. To identify the transmitter phenotype of c-Fos-ir neurons in the PVN and SON, we used double and triple fluorescence immunohistochemistry (colocalizing c-Fos with one or two neuropeptides; OT, AVP, CRH, and CART). Table 1Go shows the number of cells per side/section (one section at same rostro-caudal level counted per animal and the mean value used in the analysis; n = 6 all transmitters and areas) containing OT-, AVP-, CRH-, and CART-ir as well as the percentage of colocalization with c-Fos-ir in the various subnuclei of the PVN and SON (mean ± SEM). Central administration of CART induced c-Fos in a high proportion of CRH-ir neurons located in the hypophysiotropic part of the PVN (Fig. 4Go, A and B). In contrast, CRH neurons of other nuclei, such as the central nucleus of the amygdala (Table 1Go) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (data not shown) were devoid of CART-induced c-Fos expression. Also, the magnocellular OT-producing neurons of the SON, anterior magnocellular PVN, and posterior magnocellular PVN were found to contain CART-induced c-Fos (Table 1Go and Fig. 4Go, C–E). In addition, a high proportion of parvicellular OT-ir neurons located in the dorsal portion of the PVN (dpPVN) was found to contain c-Fos-ir after icv CART (Table 1Go and Fig. 4EGo). Only very few AVP-ir magnocellular cells in the PVN and SON were found to contain c-Fos (Table 1Go and Fig. 4FGo). Finally, the coexistence of CART-induced c-Fos-ir with endogenous CART in hypothalamic neurons was assessed. A small proportion of CART cells within the medial and periventricular parts of the PVN was found to contain c-Fos (Table 1Go and Fig. 4Go, A and B), whereas the CART neurons in the Arc and in the lateral hypothalamic area did not costore c-Fos (data not shown). The PVN contains not only CART-ir cell bodies, but also a high number of CART-ir fibers in close apposition to perikarya of neuroendocrine neurons. In the mpPVN, CART-ir fibers were seen in close apposition to CRH-ir cell bodies concomitantly expressing CART-induced c-Fos-ir (Fig. 5Go, A–C). In separate experiments we investigated, by double immunohistochemistry, the distribution of CART-ir fibers in relation to either OT or AVP neurons in the PVN. In the magnocellular PVN we found CART-ir fibers with boutons en passage and terminal boutons in close apposition to OT-containing (Fig. 5DGo) as well as AVP-containing neurons (Fig. 5FGo). The dorsal parvicellular portion of the PVN contained a dense plexus of CART-ir fibers, many of which formed basket-like plexuses surrounding parvicellular OT-ir neurons (Fig. 5EGo).


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Table 1. CART induction of c-Fos in neurochemically defined neurons

 


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Figure 4. Immunofluorescence images were obtained via confocal laser scanning microscopy. a and b show sections through the midportion of the PVN from a rat treated with 0.5 µg CART. The sections in A and B are triple stained, and three different fluorophores have been used to simultaneously visualize c-Fos (red), CART (blue), and CRH (green). A, The majority of CRH neurons contain c-Fos (curved arrows), whereas the majority of CART neurons do not (straight arrows, bottom of A). A single CART-ir cell in the medial parvicellular PVN containing c-Fos is seen at the top left of A (straight arrow). In the magnocellular SON and PVN (C–E) OT-ir neurons (green) colocalized c-Fos immunoreactivity (red) to a high degree (curved arrows). Also, a high number of the parvicellular OT-ir neurons (green) in the dorsal cap of the PVN (top of E, curved arrow) were found to express c-Fos after CART icv. In contrast (F), almost no costorage between AVP (green) and c-Fos was observed in animals injected with CART. Scale bars, 100 µm (A) and 50 µm (B–F).

 


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Figure 5. High power confocal laser immunofluorescence images (0.7 µm thick) showing the existence of CART-ir fibers (red) with terminal boutons and boutons en passage in close contact with CRH (green immunoreactivity in A–C), OT (green immunoreactivity in D and E), and AVP neurons (green immunoreactivity in F). A–C show three consecutive scannings (0.7 µm thick, 2 µm apart) organized from top (A) to bottom (C) obtained at the mid-PVN level from an animal injected icv with 0.5 µg CART-(42–89) and show CART-ir fibers (red) surrounding CRH-ir cells (green) that contain c-Fos (blue). D–F are sections from animals that were not injected with CART but immunoreacted for CART and OT (D and E) and CART and AVP (F). D, In the ventral part of the posterior magnocellular PVN, only few CART-ir fibers (red) were observed in close apposition to OT-ir neurons. E, In the dorsal cap these apparent contacts between CART-ir fibers (red) and parvicellular OT neurons (green) were more numerous. F, Also, a few CART-ir fibers (red) were seen contacting AVP neurons (green) in the PVN. Scale bars, 10 µm.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
In the present report we have extended our previous observations of an excitatory action of recombinant CART-(42–89) on neuroendocrine neurons of the PVN and SON by showing that central administration of CART induces c-Fos expression in parvicellular CRH neurons as well as in magnocellular OT neurons, whereas magnocellular AVP neurons are unaffected. In line with the immunohistochemical findings we have shown that icv administration of CART-(42–89) increases plasma concentrations of corticosterone and OT, but has no effect on plasma AVP concentrations. Taken together, our results indicate that CART-(42–89) activates neuroendocrine circuits that may be involved in mediating the anorectic effects of this peptide. However, parvicellular OT neurons of the PVN also contained c-Fos-ir after CART, suggesting that CART influences descending autonomic pathways.

As the CART receptor is as yet unidentified, we initially used the immediate early gene c-fos as a tool to map potential sites of action of CART (Ref. 9 and the present study). Numerous studies have shown that c-fos gene expression in most neurons is closely coupled to cellular excitation and functional activation (for review, see Ref. 17), and several groups have used c-fos expression as a marker of activation of neuroendocrine neurons after different acute or chronic stressors (19, 20). The triple immunohistochemical procedure used to simultaneously visualize CRH, CART, and c-Fos demonstrated that icv injection of 0.5 µg CART-(42–89) induced c-Fos-ir in the vast majority of medial parvicellular CRH neurons (~90%). The low level of peptide present in the hypophysiotropic CRH neurons renders immunohistochemical detection of these neurons difficult in conventionally paraformaldehyde fixed tissue (21). In the present study, the use of a different fixative preserving CRH-ir (22), as well as the use of the highly sensitive tyramide amplification technique (23) enabled us to visualize the majority of PVN CRH neurons (as well as CRH neurons in other sites: medial preoptic area, central nucleus of the amygdala, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis). It should be noted that albeit the tyramide amplification enhances CRH-ir in the PVN, part of the population requires colchicine pretreatment of animals before immunohistochemical visualization is possible (24). The actual percentage of CRH-ir neurons containing c-Fos after CART could therefore be either higher or lower than that observed in the present study.

The triple staining method allowed detailed examination of the anatomical relationship between CART- and CRH-ir elements in the PVN. The presence of CART-ir fibers endowed with both terminal boutons and boutons en passage in close apposition to c-Fos containing CRH-ir neurons within the PVN suggests that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis motor-neurons are directly innervated by CART-containing axons. Although the origin of the CART-ir fibers contacting the CRH-ir neurons remains elusive, it is tempting to speculate that Arc neurons contribute to this pathway. Firstly, the Arc contains a large population of CART-producing neurons, the vast majority of which (>95%) costore POMC (5, 11). Secondly, the POMC neurons of the Arc have been shown to project to the PVN (25, 26, 27), and synaptic contacts between POMC-containing fibers in the PVN and CRH here have been demonstrated (28). However, other areas must contribute with CART-ir fibers to the PVN, as animals with neurochemical monosodium glutamate lesions of the Arc (29) still contain a considerable amount of CART-ir fibers and cell bodies in the PVN (our unpublished observations). Further neuroanatomical tracing studies will have to be conducted to determine whether the residual CART fibers in Arc-lesioned animals originate from CART neurons contained within the PVN proper or from CART neurons in other hypothalamic sites.

The increase in plasma corticosterone levels induced by central CART administration as well as the triple immunohistochemical data showing CART-ir fibers juxtaposed to CRH-ir cell bodies containing c-Fos point to a possible direct action of CART on the hypophysiotropic CRH neurons. However, it should be stressed that the demonstration of CART-ir fibers close to activated CRH-ir neurons by no means excludes the possibility that the exogenously administered CART activates the PVN CRH neurons via other (indirect) routes. Also, the exact connectivity of CART-activated CRH-ir cell bodies in the PVN is uncertain. At least three possible routes are followed by CRH-ir axons of parvicellular PVN neurons. The medial parvicellular PVN perikarya give off intranuclear collaterals before giving rise to the ventrolaterally directed projection bundle innervating the external zone of the median eminence. The lateral and dorsal parvicellular subnuclei, comprising the caudal complex of the PVN, harbor CRH-ir perikarya, giving rise to descending projections innervating preganglionic autonomic motoneurons (30). Thus, CART potentially influences both hypophysiotropic and autonomic CRH-ir neurons having an impact on such diverse functions as the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis as well as overall sympathetic tone. In further support of central CART-induced activation of descending pathways to the sympathetic outflow neurons are acutely elevated blood glucose levels, although further studies are needed to elucidate whether CART also influences cardiovascular parameters such as arterial mean blood pressure and cardiac output. It is worthy of mention that changes in arterial blood pressure induce c-Fos expression in the PVN, substantiating that activation of some of the parvicellular neurons may have been secondary to CART-induced excursions of mean arterial blood pressure (31). Presently, we abstained from quantifying CART-induced c-Fos in CRH neurons located in PVN subnuclei other than the medial parvicellular PVN. The vast majority of CRH-ir neurons in the medial parvicellular PVN are hypophysiotropic, whereas the projectional patterns of CRH-ir cells in other parvicellular PVN subnuclei are diverse and different to segregate anatomically from the hypophysiotropic CRH population (30). Therefore, proper analysis of c-Fos activation of efferent CRH projections originating in the lateral and dorsal parvicellular PVN requires the use of combined c-Fos immunohistochemistry with neuronal tracing techniques.

A number of compounds with anorectic properties can stimulate central OT neurons. These include transmitters that have been associated with satiety (cholecystokinin and CRH) as well as compounds causing visceral discomfort when injected ip (lithium chloride and hypertonic saline) (for review, see Ref. 32). Systemic administration of cholecystokinin (33, 34) and central administration of CRH (35) both activate magnocellular OT neurons, leading to increased levels of circulating OT. However, this peripheral rise in circulating OT has no effect on food intake (36), but, rather, reflects a concomitant activation of central oxytocinergic systems, as central administration of OT antagonists can block the inhibitory effects on feeding behavior elicited by both compounds (32, 37, 38). In support of a role of central descending oxytocinergic pathways in mediating CART-induced anorexia is our observation that a high proportion of parvicellular OT-ir cells in the dorsal parvicellular PVN contained c-Fos-ir nuclei. The dorsally located group of parvicellular OT neurons constitute a distinct and easily recognized group of neurons in the PVN (39). The dorsal parvicellular PVN consists of a dense relatively homogeneous group of neurons projecting directly to the preganglionic sympathetic neurons in the spinal cord (39, 40, 41). Besides OT, this paraventriculo-spinal tract contains a variety of other transmitters, notably AVP (10, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44). OT-ir fibers have been shown to make synaptic contacts with preganglionic neurons of the intermediolateral cell column (IML) (45), and a direct excitatory action of OT on IML neurons in the spinal cord has been described (46). Our data showing activation of parvicellular OT neurons in the PVN and a high number of putative contacts between CART-ir fibers and OT cells in this part of the PVN therefore suggests that CART activates the autonomic preganglionic neurons. Although we have no direct measurements of autonomic activation, we propose that the rapid and transient increase in blood glucose levels seen after central administration of CART is due to activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. It should be noted that CART itself has been demonstrated in fibers innervating the IML (11, 47), and that part of this projection comes from CART-ir cell bodies located in the rostral part of the Arc (11). Therefore, a direct action of centrally administered CART at this distant site cannot be excluded, and future studies will have to determine whether local injections of CART in the spinal cord have effects on sympathetic activity. Nevertheless, it is possible that CART can influence autonomic balance via several separate routes.

In conclusion, we have shown that intracerebroventricular administration of recombinant CART-(42–89) peptide, one of the naturally occurring forms of hypothalamic CART, stimulates circulating levels of OT and corticosterone. Furthermore, CART induces c-Fos expression in CRH-containing neurons in the PVN, possibly via a direct action on these, as CART-ir fibers were found in close apposition to c-Fos-containing CRH-ir neurons. Also, CART induces c-Fos in both magnocellular and parvicellular OT neurons of the PVN. As the majority of parvicellular OT neurons in the PVN project to preganglionic sympathetic neurons in the spinal cord, we suggest that this activation increases sympathetic outflow. This final suggestion is supported by the observation that CART elicits a rise in blood glucose levels.


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank Elsa Larsen, Andreas Kjaer, and Henrik Jørgensen for oxytocin and vasopressin measurements.

Received June 21, 1999.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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