Differential expression of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-immunoreactivity in the rat spinal preganglionic nuclei

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 2000-11, Vol.294 (3), p.143-146
• Main Authors: Dun, S.L, Chianca Jr, D.A, Dun, N.J, Yang, J, Chang, J.-K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry and metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Central nervous system; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ganglia, Parasympathetic - metabolism; Ganglia, Sympathetic - metabolism; Intermediolateral cell column; Lumbosacral Region; Male; Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism; Parasympathetic preganglionic neurons; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Spinal cord; Spinal Cord - metabolism; Sympathetic preganglionic neurons; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(00)01575-5

The distribution of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-like immunoreactivity (CART-LI) was investigated in the rat spinal cords with the use of an antiserum against the CART peptide fragment 55–102. CART-LI fibers were concentrated in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn of all segments. In addition to CART-LI fibers, intensely labeled somata were detected in the intermediolateral cell column (IML) and other sympathetic preganglionic nuclei of the thoracolumbar segments. In the lumbosacral segments, CART-LI fibers but not somata were seen in the sacral parasympathetic nucleus. Double-labeling the spinal sections with choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-antisera and CART-antisera revealed that the large majority of ChAT-positive somata in the sympathetic preganglionic nuclei were CART-positive, whereas ChAT-positive somata in the parasympathetic preganglionic nuclei were CART-negative. Our results show that CART-LI is selectively expressed in a population of sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs), but not in parasympathetic preganglionic neurons (PPNs) of the rat.