Quadruple colocalization of calretinin, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and substance P in fibers within the villi of the rat intestine.

Double-labeling immunofluorescent histochemistry demonstrates that calretinin, a calcium-binding protein, coexists with calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and substance P in the fibers innervating the lamina propria of the rat intestinal villi. An acetylcholinesterase histochemical stain revealed that the majority of calretinin-containing cells in the myenteric ganglia were cholinergic and that about one half of the submucosal calretinin-containing cells colocalized with acetylcholinesterase. In situ hybridization studies confirmed the presence of calretinin mRNA in the dorsal root ganglia, and a ribonuclease protection assay verified the presence of calretinin message in the intestine. The coexistence of calretinin in calcitonin-gene-related-peptide-containing cells that also contained substance P and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in the dorsal root ganglia suggest that these ganglia are the source of the quadruple colocalization within the sensory fibers of the villi. Although the function of calretinin in these nerves is unknown, it is hypothesized that the coexistence of three potent vasodilatory peptides influences the uptake of metabolized food products within the vasculature of the villi.