Colocalization of neurotransmitters analyzed by in situ hybridization

In situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis has been used to analyse in some detail the localization and regulation of the messenger molecules adrenaline, noradrenaline and neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) within cells of the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal medulla. In the rat adrenal gland, a novel NPY containing population of ganglion cells was found. Synthetic oligonucleotide probes complementary to mRNA coding for the catecholamine synthesizing enzymes phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and NPY were used to analyse the regulation of these genes following administration of the catecholamine depleting drug reserpine. Twenty-four hours after a single dose of reserpine, a differential regulation of PNMT, TH and NPY was found. Thus, a dramatic decrease in PNMT mRNA was observed in the adrenal medulla. In contrast, mRNA for both TH and NPY exhibited an increase. Different regulatory mechanisms may thus operate for these three compounds coexisting in chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. The regulation of enzymes and peptides was also studied in human sympathetic ganglia. After brief electrical preganglionic stimulation of thoracic ganglia in humans, in situ hybridization was performed with synthetic oligonucleotide probes complementary to TH, dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) and NPY mRNA respectively. A several fold increase in all three mRNAs was found in the principal ganglion cells. The results point to a very rapid regulation of genes involved in signal transmission in the sympathetic nervous system of humans. The results also suggest a novel way to define neuronal projections by visualizing increases in mRNA levels following electrical stimulation.