Journal of Molecular Neuroscience

, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp 45–52 | Cite as

Expression of catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes, peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase, and neuropeptide Y mRNA in the rat adrenal medulla after acute systemic nicotine

  • Jeong-Won Jahng
  • Thomas A. Houpt
  • Tong H. Joh
  • Thomas C. Wessel
Original Articles
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Accepted:

Abstract

The expression of catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes in the adrenal medulla is upregulated in parallel by stress and pharmacological treatments. In this study we examined whether a neuropeptide and its processing enzyme are regulated in parallel with catecholamine enzyme genes after drug treatment. Because the main effect of stress on the adrenal medulla is via splanchnic nerve stimulation of nicotinic receptors, we used nicotine to stimulate the medulla and visualized expression of catecholamine enzyme genes, the medullary peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY), and the neuropeptide-processing enzyme peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) byin situ hybridization quantified by image analysis of autoradiographic images. Rats received a single injection of nicotine (0, 1, or 5 mg/kg sc). Six hours later, rats were transcardially perfused. Free-floating adrenal gland sections were hybridized with35S-labeled cDNA probes for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH), phenylethanolamineN-methyltransferase (PNMT), PAM, and NPY. Nicotine treatment upregulated the expression of TH, PNMT, and NPY genes in a dose-dependent fashion. Small but nonsignificant increases were observed in DBH and PAM mRNA levels. These results suggest that common transcriptional activation mechanisms may upregulate both catecholamine and neuropeptide synthesis in the adrenal medulla after nicotinic stimulation.

Index Entries

Gene expression cholinergic receptors stress neuropeptides tyrosine hydroxylase dopamine β-hydroxylase phenyl-ethanolamineN-methyltransferase 
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Copyright information

© Humana Press Inc 1997

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jeong-Won Jahng
    • 1
  • Thomas A. Houpt
    • 2
  • Tong H. Joh
    • 1
  • Thomas C. Wessel
    • 1
  1. 1.Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Burke Medical Research Institute, Department of Neurology and NeuroscienceCornell University Medical CollegeWhite Plains
  2. 2.E.W. Bourne Behavioral Research Laboratory, Department of PsychiatryCornell University Medical CollegeWhite Plains

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