Aste N, Mühlbauer E, Grossmann R
University of Torino, Department of Anatomy, Pharmacology and Forensic Medicine, Corso M. D'Azeglio 52, I-10126, Torino, Italy.
Cell Tissue Res. 1996 Dec;286(3):365-73. doi: 10.1007/s004410050706.
Detailed anatomical studies about the distribution of arginine-vasotocin (AVT) gene expressing neurons in the avian brain are so far non-existent. Most of the investigations are limited to discrete brain nuclei in the chicken and concern particular experimental conditions. Since no data on AVT gene expression are up to now available in Japanese quail, we report here the distribution of AVT mRNA containing neurons within the prosencephalon of this bird and a comparison with the same system of the chicken. The AVT mRNA containing perikarya were detected with a specific AVT cDNA probe directed toward the distal 3' glycopeptide encoding part of the chicken AVT gene. The specificity of the probe was tested by Northern and Southern blot analysis. The AVT gene expressing neurons showed the same pattern of distribution in both species; however, a larger number of labelled neurons was observed in the chicken by visual inspection of the sections. AVT gene expressing neurons were distributed within the hypothalamus (in the medial and ventral aspects of the rostral preoptic area, in the lateral forebrain bundle, close to the ependyma of the third ventricle and in several periventricular hypothalamic nuclei) and in some extrahypothalamic regions (around the nucleus rotundus, close to the nucleus commissurae pallii and in a region probably corresponding to the nucleus strial terminalis). AVT gene expressing neurons were observed close to the organum septi laterale of the chicken. Taken together, these results confirm the specificity of the employed probe and its suitability for further studies on the modulation of AVT gene expression in quail.
迄今为止，尚无关于精氨酸血管加压素（AVT）基因表达神经元在鸟类大脑中分布的详细解剖学研究。大多数研究仅限于鸡的离散脑核，且涉及特定的实验条件。由于目前尚无日本鹌鹑AVT基因表达的数据，我们在此报告该鸟类前脑内含有AVT mRNA的神经元的分布，并与鸡的相同系统进行比较。使用针对鸡AVT基因远端3'糖肽编码部分的特异性AVT cDNA探针检测含有AVT mRNA的核周体。通过Northern和Southern印迹分析测试了探针的特异性。AVT基因表达神经元在两个物种中显示出相同的分布模式；然而，通过对切片的目视检查，在鸡中观察到更多标记的神经元。AVT基因表达神经元分布在下丘脑（在视前区前部的内侧和腹侧、外侧前脑束、靠近第三脑室室管膜以及几个室周下丘脑核）和一些下丘脑外区域（在圆核周围、靠近苍白球连合核以及可能对应终纹床核的区域）。在鸡的外侧隔器官附近观察到AVT基因表达神经元。综上所述，这些结果证实了所用探针的特异性及其适用于进一步研究鹌鹑AVT基因表达的调节。
