| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KASE Masahiko Kansai Medical University, Faculty of Medicine, Research Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (10309221)
HOUTANI Takeshi Kansai Medical University, Faculty of Medicine, Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (60241163)
OHISHI Hitoshi Kansai Medical University, Faculty of Medicine, Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (00252461)
SAKUMA Satoru Kansai Medical University, Faculty of Medicine, Research Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (70309227)
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| Research Abstract |
Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is an opioid-like heptadecapeptide agonist for the opioid receptor homolog, N/OFQ receptor. To explore the precise distribution of the peptide-receptor system, we examined the brain and spinal cord from the receptor-deficient mice bearing the targeted mutation (morc^<ml>), a lacZ insertional mutation in the N/OFQ receptor gene. PreproN/OFQ mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization and the N/OFQ receptor by X-gal histochemistry. The N/OFQ receptor reflected by lacZ expression was observed at high levels in the dentate gyrus, lateral septum, subparafascicular thalamic nucleus, medial preoptic area, median preoptic nucleus, ventromedial preoptic nucleus, anterior hypothalamic area, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, auditory brainstem nuclei, pontine dorsal tegmentum, and nucleus of the solitary tract. In situ detection of the N/OFQ receptor mRNA by digoxigenin-labeled riboprobes coupled with tyramide signal amplification in normal and wild-type mice resulted in the regional distribution paralleling the lacZ expression in these regions. PreproN/OFQ mRNA was expressed at high levels in the subparafascicular thalamic nucleus, central gray, central tegmental field, auditory brainstem nuclei, caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus, and spinal dorsal horn. Furthermore, variable levels of expression of the peptide and receptor were seen in distinct sites of the brain and spinal cord. These data indicated a correspondence of the peptide and receptor in the local distribution at limbic, hypothalamic and brainstem sites.
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