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Ontogeny of the GTP‐Binding Protein G o in Rat Brain and Heart
Author(s) -
Asano Tomiko,
Kamiya Nobuko,
Semba Reiji,
Kato Kanefusa
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.tb01149.x
Subject(s) - ontogeny , gtp' , medicine , endocrinology , biology , cerebellum , g protein , immunohistochemistry , cerebral cortex , central nervous system , protein subunit , enzyme , receptor , biochemistry , gene
We determined the ontogeny of the GTP‐binding protein G o in rat brain and heart by employing highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay methods. In the brain, the α subunit of G o (G o α) gradually increased and reached adult levels approximately 20 and 30 days after birth in cerebral cortex and cerebellum, respectively. Concentrations of β subunits, which were also quantified by the immunoassay, were almost equal to those of G o α in the brain of rats younger than 10 days, but were higher than those of G o α after 10 days. These results suggest the late development of GTP‐binding proteins other than G o . G o α was immunohistochemically positive in neuropils and negative in cell bodies at any age tested. In the heart, the concentrations of G o α increased up to several times of the adult level just after birth, and then gradually decreased after the 20th postnatal day. The level of G o α in the liver, however, was very low and constant throughout ontogenic development. An immunohistochemical study indicated that G o α was positive in the cardiac muscle of young rat, but negative in that of adult rat. These results indicate that G o α exists in cells other than those of nervous tissues and neuroendocrine cells in some periods of ontogenic development.