Distribution and colocalization of neurotransmitters and receptors in the pre-Bötzinger complex of rats. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2001 Sep;91(3):1387-95
Date
08/18/2001Pubmed ID
11509540DOI
10.1152/jappl.2001.91.3.1387Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0034863290 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 47 CitationsAbstract
The pre-Bötzinger complex (PBC), thought to be the center of respiratory rhythm generation, is a cell column ventrolateral to the nucleus ambiguus. The present study analyzed its cellular and neurochemical composition in adult rats. PBC neurons were mainly oval, fusiform, or multipolar in shape and small to medium in size. Neurokinin-1 receptor, a marker of the PBC, was present in the plasma membrane of mostly medium and small neurons and their associated processes and boutons. Among neurons immunoreactive for different neurotransmitter or receptor candidates, various numbers were colocalized with neurokinin-1 receptor. The highest ratio was with nitric oxide synthase (52.72%), and the lowest was with glycine receptors (31.93%). Glutamic acid decarboxylase- and glycine transporter 2-immunoreactive boutons, as well as GABA(A) receptor-immunoreactive plasma membrane processes and boutons, were also identified in the PBC. PBC neurons exhibited different levels of cytochrome oxidase activity, indicating their various energy demands. Our results suggest that synaptic interactions within the PBC of adult rats involve a variety of neurotransmitter and receptor types and that nitric oxide may play an important role in addition to glutamate, GABA, glycine, and neurokinin.
Author List
Liu YY, Ju G, Wong-Riley MTAuthor
Margaret Wong-Riley PhD, MA Emeritus Professor in the Cell Biology Neurobiology and Anatomy department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Amino Acid Transport Systems, NeutralAnimals
Electron Transport Complex IV
Glutamate Decarboxylase
Glutamic Acid
Glycine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
Immunoenzyme Techniques
Medulla Oblongata
Neurons
Nitric Oxide Synthase
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Receptors, AMPA
Receptors, GABA-A
Receptors, GABA-B
Receptors, Glycine
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Receptors, Neurokinin-1
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
