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Distribution of acidic fibroblast growth factor mRNA‐expressing neurons in the adult mouse central nervous system
Author(s) -
Kresse Adelheid,
Pettersson Ralf,
Hökfelt Tomas
Publication year - 1995
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.903590210
Subject(s) - biology , inferior colliculus , vestibular nuclei , neuroscience , anatomy , spinal cord , central nervous system , nucleus , superior colliculus , cuneate nucleus , medulla oblongata , nervous system , reticular formation , superior olivary complex , efferent , sensory system , afferent
The distribution of acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) mRNA‐expressing neurons was studied throughout the adult mouse central nervous system (CNS) with in situ hybridization histochemistry using a radiolabelled synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide probe complementary to the mRNA of human aFGF. We report here a widespread distribution of aFGF mRNA in several defined functional systems of the adult mouse brain, whereby the highest levels of aFGF mRNA were found in large somatomotor neurons in the nuclei of the oculomotor, trochlear, abducens, and hypoglossal nerves; in the motoneurons of the ventral spinal cord and the special visceromotor neurons in the motor nucleus of the trigeminal nerve; and in the facial and ambigaus nuclei. Labelled perikarya were also detected in all central structures of the auditory pathway including the level of the inferior colliculus, i.e., the lateral and medial superior nuclei; the trapezoid, cochlear, and lateral lemniscal nuclei; and parts of the anterior colliculus. Furthermore, many aFGF‐positive cell bodies were found in the vestibular system and other structures projecting to the cerebellum, in the deep cerebellar nuclei, in somatosensory structures of the medulla (i.e., in the gracile, cuneate, and external cuneate nuclei), as well as in the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve. The findings that aFGF mRNA is expressed in all components of several well‐defined systems (i.e., in sensory structures) as Well as in central neurons that process sensory information and, finally, in some efferent projections point towards a concept of aFGF expression primarily within certain neuronal circuitries. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.