Gene Expression for Neuropeptides in the Ganglia of the Vagus (Nodose) and Glossopharyngeal (Petrosal) Nerves

Abstract

The nodose and petrosal ganglia contain the cell bodies of primary sensory fibers of the vagus and glossopharyngeal nerve, respectively, that innervate visceral receptors of various modality, including baro- and chemoreceptors of the carotid sinus and aortic arch, stretch and irritant receptors in the heart, larynx and bronchi, and mechano- and chemoreceptors of the gastrointestinal tract. Because of their importance in autonomic regulation, there is much interest in identifying the chemical messengers (classical neurotransmitters and neuropeptides) employed by these neurons to transmit sensory information to second order neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in the medulla oblongata. In this regard, numerous peptides have been identified immunohistochemically in vagal and glossopharyngeal fibers that innervate peripheral tissue (Lundberg et al. 1978, 1979; Helke et al. 1980) and that project to NTS (Ljungdahl et al. 1978; Cuello and Kanazawa 1978). Moreover, perikarya immunoreactive for a number of neuropeptides, including substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), somatostatin (SOM), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and cholecystokinin (CCK), have been found in the nodose and petrosal ganglia (Heike et al. 1980; Helke and Hill 1988; Kummer 1988; Lundberg et al. 1978).

This work was supported by NIH grant HL 33 831 and a grant from the American Heart Association (88–1108). D.E.M. is a Career Investigator of the American Lung Association. M.C.-K. was supported by a cooperative agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. K.B.S. is a NRSA postdoctoral fellow (NS 08 525). D.A.B. is supported by a fellowship from Glaxo Pharmaceutical Co., Research Triangle Park NC, USA, and an NSERC scholarship (Canada).