Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P21554 (cannabinoid receptor)
 3,582 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The neuronal localization of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor in the rat basolateral amygdala was studied using peroxidase and fluorescence immunohistochemical techniques. All nuclei of the basolateral amygdala contained a large number of lightly stained pyramidal neurons and a small number of more intensely stained non-pyramidal neurons. Most of the latter cells had medium-sized to large multipolar somata and three to four aspiny dendrites, but some exhibited smaller oval somata. The axon initial segments of some of these non-pyramidal neurons exhibited large swollen varicosities in colchicine-injected animals, suggesting that much of the CB1 receptor protein is transported down the axons of these cells. Double-labeling studies using immunofluorescence histochemistry combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that the great majority of non-pyramidal neurons with CB1 receptor immunoreactivity belonged to a cholecystokinin-containing subpopulation. Whereas none of the other subpopulations of non-pyramidal neurons (exhibiting immunoreactivity for calretinin, parvalbumin, or somatostatin) expressed high levels of CB1 receptor immunoreactivity, a small percentage of these cells exhibited low levels of immunoreactivity. The results indicate that cannabinoids may modulate the activity of pyramidal projection neurons as well as a subpopulation of cholecystokinin-containing non-pyramidal neurons in the basolateral amygdala. Previous studies indicate that most of the latter are inhibitory interneurons that utilize GABA as a neurotransmitter. The intense staining of the cholecystokinin-containing interneurons and the evidence that large amounts of CB1 receptor protein are transported down the axons of these cells suggests that, as in the hippocampus, cannabinoids may inhibit the release of GABA from the axon terminals of these neurons.
 ...
PMID:Localization of the CB1 type cannabinoid receptor in the rat basolateral amygdala: high concentrations in a subpopulation of cholecystokinin-containing interneurons. 1172 Jul 87

Neuroanatomical investigation of the cannabinoid system in a lower vertebrate group such as teleost fishes might improve our understanding of the physiological role of such a signaling system. In the present study, the expression of a CB1 cannabinoid receptor has been demonstrated in the CNS of a teleost fish, the cichlid Pelvicachromis pulcher. Moreover, CB1-like immunoreactivity has been analyzed by using a purified antibody against the CB1 receptor amino-terminus. Immunostained neurons and varicosities were found through the telencephalon as well as in the preoptic area and lateral infundibular lobes of the hypothalamus. Stained cells were observed in the pituitary gland. Several cell bodies and nerve terminals containing an intense CB1-like immunoreactivity were found in the pretectal central nucleus and posterior tuberculum, both lying in a transitional region between diencephalon and mesencephalon. In the brainstem, the CB1 immunopositivity was more restricted than in the prosencephalon, with the exception of some large, intensely immunopositive nerve cells within the dorsal mesencephalic tegmentum, possibly motor neurons of the third cranial nerve. In the cerebellum, among a majority of immunonegative granule cells, a subset of them was immunostained. Some positive Purkinje cells were also observed. In the spinal cord, ventral gray matter, several alpha-motoneurons were stained. Similarities to and discrepancies from the CB1 receptor distributions in other vertebrate CNS are discussed, paying particular attention to the abundant CB1 immunoreactivity observed in the area encompassing the pretectum and glomerular nucleus, which is characterized by a peculiar differentiation in bony fishes.
 ...
PMID:Expression and distribution of CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system of the African cichlid fish Pelvicachromis pulcher. 1580 7

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta9-THC) has profound effects on higher cognitive functions, and exposure to Delta9-THC has been associated with the appearance or exacerbation of the clinical features of schizophrenia. These actions appear to be mediated via the CB1 receptor, the principal cannabinoid receptor expressed in the brain. However, the distribution of the CB1 receptor in neocortical regions of the primate brain that mediate cognitive functions is not known. We therefore investigated the immunocytochemical localization of the CB1 receptor in the brains of macaque monkeys and humans using antibodies that specifically recognize the N- or C-terminus of the CB1 receptor. In monkeys, intense CB1 immunoreactivity was observed primarily in axons and boutons. Across neocortical regions of the monkey brain, CB1-immunoreactive (IR) axons exhibited considerable heterogeneity in density and laminar distribution. Neocortical association regions, such as the prefrontal and cingulate cortices, demonstrated a higher density, and exhibited a unique laminar pattern of CB1-IR axons, compared with primary sensory and motor cortices. Similar regional and laminar distributions of CB1-IR axons were also present in the human neocortex. CB1-IR axons had more prominent varicosities in human tissue, but this difference appeared to represent a postmortem effect as similar morphological features increased in unperfused monkey tissue as a function of postmortem interval. In electron microscopy studies of perfused monkey prefrontal cortex, CB1 immunoreactivity was predominantly found in axon terminals that exclusively formed symmetric synapses. The high density, distinctive laminar distribution, and localization to inhibitory terminals of CB1 receptors in primate higher-order association regions suggests that the CB1 receptor may play a critical role in the circuitry that subserves cognitive functions such as those that are disturbed in schizophrenia.
 ...
PMID:Immunocytochemical distribution of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in the primate neocortex: a regional and laminar analysis. 1646 63

Hypophysiotropic TRH-synthesizing neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) have a critical role in the regulation of the energy homeostasis through control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. Recently, endocannabinoids have been shown to exert inhibitory effects on TRH neurons via the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1). To understand the anatomical basis for this regulatory mechanism, we determined whether CB1 is contained in axons innervating hypophysiotropic TRH neurons using a recently developed antiserum against the C-terminal portion of mouse CB1. CB1-immunoreactive axons densely innervated the parvicellular subdivisions of the PVN where the hypophysiotropic TRH neurons are located. By double-labeling immunocytochemistry, CB1-immunoreactive varicosities were observed in juxtaposition to the vast majority of TRH neurons in the PVN. At the ultrastructural level, CB1-immunoreactivity was observed in the preterminal portion of axons establishing both symmetric and asymmetric synaptic specializations with the perikarya and dendrites of TRH neurons in the PVN. These data demonstrate that CB1 is abundantly present in axons that are in synaptic association with hypophysiotropic TRH neurons, indicating an important role for endocannabinoids in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. The presence of both symmetric and asymmetric type CB1 synapses on TRH neurons in the PVN suggests that endocannabinoids may influence both excitatory and inhibitory inputs of these neurons.
 ...
PMID:Type 1 cannabinoid receptor-containing axons innervate hypophysiotropic thyrotropin-releasing hormone-synthesizing neurons. 1881 98