Ontogeny of somatostatin mRNA-containing perikarya in the rat central nervous system

Journal Article · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Synapse (New York); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/syn.890070206· OSTI ID:5684792

Fitzpatrick-McElligott, S; Card, J P; O'Kane, T M; Baldino, F Jr ^[1]

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1. E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, DE (USA)

The distribution of neuronal perikarya containing somatostatin mRNA in the developing rat brain was investigated with in situ hybridization histochemistry. This study describes the expression of somatostatin mRNA during selected perinatal stages and demonstrates regional changes in somatostatin mRNA expression at the single cell level. The mRNA expression closely parallels previously reported developmental localization of the peptide. As early as embryonic day 13 (E13), somatostatin mRNA was observed in discrete spinal cord and brainstem regions. At birth, densely hybridized somata could be seen primarily in ventral and caudal brain areas with small scattered neurons in the hippocampus and dorsal neocortex. After birth, somatostatin mRNA increased in forebrain regions, such as the hippocampus, dorsal neocortex, and caudate. By postnatal day 14 (P14), the distribution in the telencephalic and diencephalic regions approached that of the adult brain. Several brain regions manifested large changes in the density of somatostatin mRNA hybridization during development. For example, the cerebellar vermis and brainstem contained somatostatin mRNA perikarya during early postnatal development but decreased in these regions in the adult. During perinatal development, increases in somatostatin mRNA content were the results of increases in both the number of neurons containing somatostatin mRNA as well as in the amount of this mRNA expressed in each cell. As the brain differentiates, the apparent numbers of somatostatin mRNA containing neurons in certain brain regions are reduced. These data provide evidence for transient somatostatinergic neurons during early development in discrete areas of the occipital cortex, pyriform cortex, cerebellum, and brainstem and suggest that this peptide may play a role in the development of these regions.

• OSTI ID: 5684792
• Journal Information: Synapse (New York); (USA), Vol. 7:2; ISSN 0887-4476
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BRAIN
ONTOGENESIS
NERVE CELLS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
PEPTIDES
BIOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION
AGE DEPENDENCE
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
DNA HYBRIDIZATION
GENE REGULATION
MESSENGER-RNA
OLIGONUCLEOTIDES
PREGNANCY
RATS
SOMATOSTATIN
SULFUR ISOTOPES
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
BODY
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
HYBRIDIZATION
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PROTEINS
RNA
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
VERTEBRATES
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques