| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000)
Fiscal Year 1996: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1995: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The localization and intensity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TOH) immunoreactivity and TOH mRNA expression in the brain of brindled mice (BM) before and after copper therapy were investigated by means of in situ hybridization (ISH) histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Animals used include 5 pairs of untreated 12-day-old BM and normal littcrmates and 5 pairs of copper-treaed BM surviving until 8 months old and age-matched normal control mice. The immunohistochemistry revealed positive immunoreactivity in neurons of the substantia nigra, locus coeruleus, nucleus rapbe linearis, periaqueductal gray, pontine reticular nucleus etc.. The immunoreactivity in those neurons in the brains from 8-month-old mice (both treated BM and normal control mice) was, in general, stronger than that in the brains from 12-day-old mice (both untreated BM and normal littermates). There was, however, little difference of it between BM and normal control mice, either of untreated or treated groups. The ISH histoch
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emistry revealed positive signal expression in neurons of the substantia nigra, locus coeruleus, nucleus raphe linearis, periaqueductal gray, pontine reticular nucleus etc.. In general, the signal expression was weak and varicd mouse by mouse because of variable levels of brain sections. Thus it was difficult to conclude that there was a clear difference in intensity and localization of TOH mRNA expression in the brain of untreated BM and that of normal littermates. It was, however, successfully demonstrated that there was no significant difference between the signal expression intensity or localization in the brain of 8-month-old BM (treated) and that of normal control mice. In conclusion, enogh evidence for an increase of TOH production in the brain of untreated 12-day-old BM has not been shown in the present study. But equivalent intensity and localization of TOH mRNA expression and TOH immunoreactivity in both brain tissues of 8-month-old BM (treated) and normal control mice suggest that the TOH production level has become normalized in the brain tissue of 8-month-old BM (treated). Less
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