Alonso G, Gaillet S
INSERM Unité 336, Université de Montpellier II, France.
Cell Tissue Res. 1991 Aug;265(2):307-15. doi: 10.1007/BF00398078.
Immunocytochemistry was used to compare the immunoreactivity of adrenergic neurons to a well characterized specific immunoserum to phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) in different strains of rats commonly used in research studies. In adult animals, marked differences were found in the PNMT-immunoreactivity of neurons between Wistar rats and other strains, resulting in a lower PNMT-immunostaining intensity (i) within neuronal perikarya of the medulla oblongata, and (ii) more strikingly, within nerve fibers and terminals located in various brain regions. This low PNMT-immunoreactivity of nerve fibers was detected both in 14- and 35-day-old Wistar rats. On the other hand, the HPLC measurement of catecholamines, in particular of adrenaline in the hypothalamus and the medulla oblongata, did not show any difference between adult Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats. These data suggest that the low PNMT-immunoreactivity observed in central adrenergic neurons of the Wistar rats is related to the poor recognition of the antigen by the PNMT-antibody used. Possibly, these nerve cells mainly display an isoform of the enzyme that is immunologically different from the PNMT contained within the adrenergic neurons of other rat strains.
免疫细胞化学被用于比较肾上腺素能神经元与一种针对苯乙醇胺 - N - 甲基转移酶（PNMT）的特征明确的特异性免疫血清在常用于研究的不同品系大鼠中的免疫反应性。在成年动物中，发现Wistar大鼠与其他品系的大鼠神经元的PNMT免疫反应性存在显著差异，导致：（i）延髓神经元胞核内的PNMT免疫染色强度较低；（ii）更显著的是，位于不同脑区的神经纤维和终末内的PNMT免疫染色强度较低。在14日龄和35日龄的Wistar大鼠中均检测到神经纤维的这种低PNMT免疫反应性。另一方面，对儿茶酚胺（特别是下丘脑和延髓中的肾上腺素）的高效液相色谱测量显示，成年Wistar大鼠和Sprague - Dawley大鼠之间没有任何差异。这些数据表明，在Wistar大鼠中枢肾上腺素能神经元中观察到的低PNMT免疫反应性与所用PNMT抗体对该抗原的识别不佳有关。可能这些神经细胞主要表达一种与其他大鼠品系肾上腺素能神经元中所含PNMT在免疫上不同的酶同工型。
