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Regional Distribution of the GABA A /Benzodiazepine Receptor (α Subunit) mRNA in Rat Brain
Author(s) -
Montpied Pascale,
Martin Brian M.,
Cottingham Sandra L.,
Stubblefield Barbara K.,
Ginns Edward I.,
Paul Steven M.
Publication year - 1988
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.1471-4159.1988.tb01137.x
Subject(s) - olfactory bulb , cerebellum , biology , gabaa receptor , dentate gyrus , thalamus , in situ hybridization , striatum , hippocampus , hippocampal formation , cerebral cortex , messenger rna , medicine , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology , receptor , neuroscience , central nervous system , biochemistry , gene , dopamine
A human cDNA clone containing the 5’coding region of the GABA A /benzodiazepine receptor α subunit was used to quantify and visualize receptor mRNA in various regions of the rat brain. Using a [ 32 P]CTP‐labelled antisense RNA probe (860 bases) prepared from the α subunit cDNA, multiple mRNA species were detected in Northern blots using total and poly A rat brain RNA. In all brain regions, mRNAs of 4.4 and 4.8 kb were observed, and an additional mRNA of 3.0 kb was detected in the cerebellum and hippocampus. The level of GABA A /benzodiazepine receptor mRNA was highest in the cerebellum followed by the thalamus = frontal cortex = hippocampus = parietal cortex = hypothalamus ≫ pons = striatum = medulla. In situ hybridization revealed high levels of α subunit mRNA in cerebellar gray matter, olfactory bulb, thalamus, hippocampus/dentate gyrus, and the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. These data suggest the presence of multiple GABA A /benzodiazepine receptor α subunit mRNAs in rat brain and demonstrate the feasibility of studying the expression of genes encoding the GABA A /benzodiazepine receptor after pharmacological and/or environmental manipulation.