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Ontogeny and Subcellular Distribution of Rat Brain Tele‐Methylhistamine
Author(s) -
Hough Lindsay B.,
Khandelwal J. K.,
Green Jack Peter
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1982.tb06638.x
Subject(s) - histamine , histamine n methyltransferase , histamine h3 receptor , ontogeny , biology , endocrinology , metabolite , medicine , chemistry , histamine h2 receptor , biochemistry , receptor , antagonist
The whole brain content and subcellular distribution of histamine and its metabolite, tele‐methylhistamine, were studied during postnatal development of the rat. Brain methylhistamine levels were similar to or greater than histamine levels, indicating that histamine methylation is a major metabolic pathway in neonatal brain, as it is in adults. When calculated per brain, histamine, methylhistamine, and histamine methyltransferase were all maximal 10 days after birth. In neonates, brain histamine was found almost entirely in nuclear fractions, whereas methylhistamine was found almost exclusively in supernatant fractions. By day 20, however, a greater proportion of both amines was localized in subcellular fractions containing synaptosomes, a finding consistent with histamine's suggested transmitter role. The ontogenic pattern of brain methylhistamine questions the mast cell origin of neonatal histamine, but may be consistent with a role for histamine in brain development.