Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.6.99.3 (diaphorase)
 5,903 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A major group of cholinergic neurons is present in the midbrain and pontine tegmentum. These cells could be selectively stained using either monoclonal antibodies to choline acetyltransferase, the pharmacohistochemical acetylcholinesterase procedure, or reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase histochemistry. Using these three techniques, the precise distribution of this cell group was determined. By combining these techniques with immunohistochemical staining for various neuropeptides, examples of peptide-cholinergic coexistence could be demonstrated in this cell group. Approximately 30% of these cholinergic neurons displayed substance P immunoreactivity. Most of these cells also showed corticotropin-releasing factor immunoreactivity and bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide immunoreactivity. These results therefore provide evidence for the coexistence of various neuropeptides together with NADPH-diaphorase activity in the ascending cholinergic reticular system.
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PMID:Neuropeptides and NADPH-diaphorase activity in the ascending cholinergic reticular system of the rat. 396 Mar 9

The topographic ontogeny of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the rat hypothalamus was studied by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-diaphorase (NADPH-diaphorase) histochemistry. At Day 1 of postnatal life (P1), NOS-positive neurons were already present and achieved their maturity (in terms of perikarya number and dendritic arborization) about the time of weaning (P21). Across all ages studied (P1 to adulthood), intense NADPH-diaphorase staining was primarily confined within magnocellular cells of the PVN largely characterized by medium-sized (12-15 mum in diameter), ovoid bipolar neurons with prominent clear nuclei. To identify the neurosecretory cells of the adult PVN in which NOS was present, double-labeling studies were carried out via fluorescent immunocytochemistry. Magnocellular oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), as well as parvocellular corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), were found to be colocalized with NOS. However, colocalization occurred significantly more frequently in OT-containing neurons, relative to AVP- or CRF-positive cells. Most of the colocalization occurring between NOS and OT was observed in the rostral constituent of the magnocellular subdivision of the PVN, as opposed to a more caudal defined PVN. To provide a distribution comparison of OT, AVP, and CRF to that of NOS in the adult PVN, in situ hybridization was carried out with (35)S-cRNA antisense probes for the aforementioned neuropeptides. The results obtained with this evaluation were correlated with NOS histochemistry in the same brain sections. As expected, specific labeling was observed for all three neuroactive substances over their topographically distinctive nuclei. Among these nuclei, labeling by the OT cRNA probe provided the closest topographical correlation of hybridized signal over NOS perikarya, thus reinforcing the tenet that a relatively small population of OT nerve cells are concurrently colocalized with the enzyme. Taken together, these results indicate that NOS is present in the PVN of the rat at all postnatal ages which we tested. They also indicate that among neurosecretory cells of the PVN, only OT prominently shared with NOS the same common nerve cell type. This suggests that NOS neurons may represent a distinct neuropil group among multiple neuroactive nuclei in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus. Finally, we demonstrate that NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry can be easily combined with immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization procedures to evaluate the colocalization and topographical distribution of NOS with other phenotypic neurons in the mammalian central nervous system.
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PMID:Ontogeny of the rat hypothalamic nitric oxide synthase and colocalization with neuropeptides. 1991 18