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Distribution of soluble guanylyl cyclase in the rat brain
Author(s) -
Ding JinDong,
Burette Alain,
Nedvetsky Pavel I.,
Schmidt Harald H.H.W.,
Weinberg Richard J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.20054
Subject(s) - soluble guanylyl cyclase , colocalization , biology , cerebellum , microbiology and biotechnology , nitric oxide , nitric oxide synthase , second messenger system , neuroscience , forebrain , protein subunit , intracellular , central nervous system , biochemistry , endocrinology , guanylate cyclase , gene
The diffusible messenger nitric oxide (NO) acts in the brain largely through activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), a heterodimer comprising α and β subunits. We used immunohistochemistry to study the distribution of both sGC subunits in the brain of adult rats. α and β subunits gave similar widespread staining throughout the CNS, which was strongest in neostriatum, olfactory tubercle, and supraoptic nucleus. Double‐labeling experiments showed striking cellular colocalization in most brain regions, suggesting that the two subunits may be organized into enzymatically active α/β heteromers. Mismatches were observed in cerebellar cortex: Purkinje cells and Bergmann glia were positive for both subunits, whereas granule cells and interneurons in the molecular layer were strongly immunopositive for β but only weakly stained for the α subunit. By using multiple labeling, we compared the localization of sGC with neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS‐I, the NO‐producing enzyme in neurons). In forebrain, the distribution of sGC and NOS‐I was complementary, with only occasional colocalization. In contrast, cellular colocalization was common in midbrain and cerebellum. These data support a widespread role for the NO/sGC/cGMP pathway in the CNS and suggest that, in addition to its role as paracrine messenger, NO may also be an intracellular autocrine agent. J. Comp. Neurol. 472:437–448, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.