Localization of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4-R) in neuroendocrine and autonomic control circuits in the brain.
Localization of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4-R) in neuroendocrine and autonomic control circuits in the brain.
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DOI：
10.1210/mend.8.10.7854347
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发表时间：
1994-10
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
K. Mountjoy;M. Mortrud;M. Low;R. Simerly;R. Cone
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
K. Mountjoy;M. Mortrud;M. Low;R. Simerly;R. Cone
POMC是ACTH、MSH和-内啡肽的前体，在垂体和大脑的两个部位表达，即下丘脑弓状核和脑干孤立束的交联核。关于黑素皮质素（ACTH和MSH）肽在大脑中的功能，我们知之甚少。我们在这里报告了MC4-R mRNA在成年大鼠脑中的详细神经解剖学分布。黑素皮质素3受体（MC3-R），先前的特征，被发现表达在弓形核神经元和一个子集的推定终末场，但在脑干的少数区域。高度保守的MC4-R比MC3-R表达更广泛，并且在药理学上是不同的。MC4-R mRNA在几乎每个大脑区域的多个位点被发现，包括皮层、丘脑、下丘脑、脑干和脊髓。与MC3-R不同，MC4-R mRNA在下丘脑室旁核的小细胞和大细胞神经元中均存在，提示其在垂体功能的中枢控制中起作用。MC4-R在许多皮质核和脑干核中也有独特的表达。MC3-R和/或MC-4R mRNA在成年大鼠脑中结合MSH的每个细胞核中都被发现，并定义了已知参与控制多种神经内分泌和自主神经功能的神经回路。MC4受体的高度保守性、独特的药理学和独特的神经元分布表明，黑素皮质素肽在神经内分泌和自主神经控制中具有特定而复杂的作用。
POMC, the precursor of ACTH, MSH, and beta-endorphin peptides, is expressed in the pituitary and in two sites in the brain, in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and the commissural nucleus of the solitary tract of the brain stem. Little is known regarding the functions of melanocortin (ACTH and MSH) peptides in the brain. We report here the detailed neuroanatomical distribution of the MC4-R mRNA in the adult rat brain. The melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3-R), characterized previously, was found to be expressed in arcuate nucleus neurons and in a subset of their presumptive terminal fields but in few regions of the brainstem. The highly conserved MC4-R is much more widely expressed than MC3-R and is pharmacologically distinct. MC4-R mRNA was found in multiple sites in virtually every brain region, including the cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord. Unlike the MC3-R, MC4-R mRNA is found in both parvicellular and magnocellular neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, suggesting a role in the central control of pituitary function. MC4-R is also unique in its expression in numerous cortical and brainstem nuclei. Together, MC3-R and/or MC-4R mRNA are found in every nucleus reported to bind MSH in the adult rat brain and define neuronal circuitry known to be involved in the control of diverse neuroendocrine and autonomic functions. The high degree of conservation, distinct pharmacology, and unique neuronal distribution of the MC4 receptor suggest specific and complex roles for the melanocortin peptides in neuroendocrine and autonomic control.