Summary
The distribution of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) was studied in the brain of the lizard Lacerta muralis by means of immunocytochemical staining methods. α-MSH-like containing cells were found in the ventro-lateral preoptic area and the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. Some scattered cells staining for α-MSH were also detected in the mesencephalo-diencephalic boundary region, while numerous α-MSH-like nerve fibres were localized in the medial eminence. No reaction was observed after the use of antiserum preabsorbed with synthetic antigen.
These findings suggest that an α-MSH-like peptidergic system could possibly be involved in the hypothalamo-hypophysial regulation and/or play a role as neurotransmitter in this animal.
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Vallarino, M. Immunocytochemical localization of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in the brain of the lizard, Lacerta muralis . Cell Tissue Res. 237, 521–524 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00228436
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00228436