Premium
Neuronal localization of prosomatostatin mRNA in the rat brain with in situ hybridization histochemistry
Author(s) -
FitzpatrickMceElligott Sandra,
Card J. Patrick,
Lewis Michael E.,
Baldino Frank
Publication year - 1988
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.902730410
Subject(s) - in situ hybridization , biology , somatostatin , hippocampus , neuropeptide , hypothalamus , neuroscience , central nervous system , neurotransmitter , messenger rna , cerebral cortex , precursor mrna , receptor , rna splicing , biochemistry , rna , gene
Individual neurons containing prosomatostatin mRNA were identified with in situ hybridization histochemistry. Our results demonstrate a widespread distribution of prosomatostatin mRNA in several regions of the rat central nervous system. Neurons containing this transcript were most abundant in the anterior olfactory nucleus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala as well as in all regions of the cerebral cortex. Moreover, the distribution of mRNA‐containing perikarya was coextensive with the location of neurons containing somatostatin‐like immunoreactivity in all areas of the brain examined. Somatostatin neurons varied in their morphology and amount of hybridization signal from region to region. The widespread distribution and regional variations in neuronal morphology and the amount of hybridization signal are consistent with a neurotransmitter and/or a neuromodulator role for somatostatin in addition to its well‐established neuroendocrine role. These results demonstrate that both the peptide and its mRNA are found in perikarya in the same areas and that they are therefore the sites of synthesis for somatostatin.