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Localization of the mouse α 1A ‐adrenergic receptor (AR) in the brain: α 1A AR is expressed in neurons, GABAergic interneurons, and NG2 oligodendrocyte progenitors
Author(s) -
Papay Robert,
Gaivin Robert,
Jha Archana,
Mccune Dan F.,
Mcgrath John C.,
Rodrigo Manoj C.,
Simpson Paul C.,
Doze Van A.,
Perez Dianne M.
Publication year - 2006
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.20992
Subject(s) - biology , oligodendrocyte , glutamate decarboxylase , neuroscience , cerebellum , gabaergic , microbiology and biotechnology , hippocampal formation , central nervous system , myelin , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , biochemistry , enzyme
α 1 ‐Adrenergic receptors (ARs) are not well defined in the central nervous system. The particular cell types and areas that express these receptors are uncertain because of the lack of high avidity antibodies and selective ligands. We have developed transgenic mice that either systemically overexpress the human α 1A ‐AR subtype fused with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) or express the EGFP protein alone under the control of the mouse α 1A ‐AR promoter. We confirm our transgenic model against the α 1A ‐AR knockout mouse, which expresses the LacZ gene in place of the coding region for the α 1A ‐AR. By using these models, we have now determined cellular localization of the α 1A ‐AR in the brain, at the protein level. The α 1A ‐AR or the EGFP protein is expressed prominently in neuronal cells in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, midbrain, pontine olivary nuclei, trigeminal nuclei, cerebellum, and spinal cord. The types of neurons were diverse, and the α 1A ‐AR colocalized with markers for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), and N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Recordings from α 1A ‐AR EGFP‐expressing cells in the stratum oriens of the hippocampal CA1 region confirmed that these cells were interneurons. We could not detect expression of the α 1A ‐AR in mature astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, or cerebral blood vessels, but we could detect the α 1A ‐AR in oligodendrocyte progenitors. We conclude that the α 1A ‐AR is abundant in the brain, expressed in various types of neurons, and may regulate the function of oligodendrocyte progenitors, interneurons, GABA, and NMDA receptor containing neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 497:209–222, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.