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Fluorescent Visualisation of Oxytocin in the Hypothalamo‐neurohypophysial/‐spinal Pathways After Chronic Inflammation in Oxytocin‐Monomeric Red Fluorescent Protein 1 Transgenic Rats
Author(s) -
Matsuura T.,
Kawasaki M.,
Hashimoto H.,
Ishikura T.,
Yoshimura M.,
Ohkubo J.I.,
Maruyama T.,
Motojima Y.,
Sabanai K.,
Mori T.,
Ohnishi H.,
Sakai A.,
Ueta Y.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of neuroendocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1365-2826
pISSN - 0953-8194
DOI - 10.1111/jne.12290
Subject(s) - oxytocin , parvocellular cell , medicine , endocrinology , hypothalamus , vasopressin , spinal cord , magnocellular cell , biology , supraoptic nucleus , posterior pituitary , neuroscience , pituitary gland , hormone
Oxytocin ( OXT ) is a well‐known neurohypophysial hormone that is synthesised in the paraventricular ( PVN ) and supraoptic nuclei ( SON ) of the hypothalamus. The projection of magnocellular neurosecretory cells, which synthesise OXT and arginine vasopressin in the PVN and SON , to the posterior pituitary plays an essential role in mammalian labour and lactation through its peripheral action. However, previous studies have shown that parvocellular OXT ergic cells in the PVN , which project to the medulla and spinal cord, are involved in various physiological functions (e.g. sensory modulation and autonomic). In the present study, we examined OXT expression in the PVN , SON and spinal cord after chronic inflammation from adjuvant arthritis ( AA ). We used transgenic rats that express OXT and the monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 ( mRFP 1) fusion gene to visualise both the magnocellular and parvocellular OXT ergic pathways. OXT ‐ mRFP 1 fluorescence intensity was significantly increased in the PVN , SON , dorsal horn of the spinal cord and posterior pituitary in AA rats. The levels of OXT ‐ mRFP 1 mRNA were significantly increased in the PVN and SON of AA rats. These results suggested that OXT was up‐regulated in both hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory cells and parvocellular cells by chronic inflammation, and also that OXT in the PVN ‐spinal pathway may be involved in sensory modulation. OXT ‐ mRFP 1 transgenic rats are a very useful model for visualising the OXT ergic pathways from vesicles in a single cell to terminals in in vitro preparations.