Colocalization of Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript with Kisspeptin and Neurokinin B in the Human Infundibular Region
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Kisspeptin (KP)- and neurokinin B (NKB)- synthesizing neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus play a pivotal role in the regulation of pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion. Unlike in rodents and sheep, the homologous KP and NKB neurons in the human infundibular region rarely express dynorphin- but often exhibit Substance P (SP) immunoreactivity, indicating remarkable species differences in the neurochemical phenotype of these neurons. In search for additional neuropeptides in human KP and NKB neurons, we carried out immunofluorescent studies on hypothalamic sections obtained from five postmenopausal women. Colocalization experiments provided evidence for the presence of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) in 47.9 ± 6.6% of KP-immunoreactive (IR) and 30.0 ± 4.9% of NKB-IR perikarya and in 17.0 ± 2.3% of KP-IR and 6.2 ± 2.0% of NKB-IR axon varicosities. All three neuropeptides were present in 33.3 ± 4.9% of KP-IR and 28.2 ± 4.6% of NKB-IR somata, respectively, whereas triple-labeling showed lower incidences in KP-IR (14.3 ± 1.8%) and NKB-IR (5.9 ± 2.0%) axon varicosities. CART-IR KP and NKB neurons established contacts with other peptidergic cells, including GnRH-IR neurons and also sent projections to the infundibular stalk. KP and NKB fibers with CART often contained SP as well, while being distinct from CART fibers co-containing the orexigenic peptide agouti-related protein. Presence of CART in human, but not rodent, KP and NKB neurons represents a new example of species differences in the neuropeptide repertoire of mediobasal hypothalamic KP and NKB neurons. Target cells, receptor sites and physiological significance of CART in the efferent communication of KP and NKB neurons in primates require clarification.
Date Issued
2014-08-01
Date Acceptance
2014-07-08
Citation
PLoS ONE, 2014, 9 (8)
ISSN
1932-6203
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Journal / Book Title
PLoS ONE
Volume
9
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2014 Skrapits et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
License URL
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
National Institute for Health Research
Grant Number
G1000455
CDF-2009-02-05
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES
GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING-HORMONE
MONKEY MACACA-MULATTA
KISS-1 MESSENGER-RNA
ARCUATE NUCLEUS
HUMAN HYPOTHALAMUS
CART PEPTIDES
MALE-MOUSE
MORPHOLOGIC EVIDENCE
RAT HYPOTHALAMUS
MEDIAN-EMINENCE
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e103977