Dynamics of 7B2 and galanin expression in solitary magnocellular hypothalamic vasopressin neurons of the homozygous Brattleboro rat

Abstract

The homozygous Brattleboro rat ( di/di), displaying a hypothalamic form of diabetes insipidus, synthesizes a vasopressin (VP) precursor with an abnormal C-terminus. The phenotypic expression of coexisting peptides in mutant magnocellular VP cells shows a differential pattern. 7B2 is one of the peptides which is not detectable, whereas there is a clear galanin expression. During postnatal life a small but increasing number of solitary post-mitotic VP neurons of the di/di rat undergoes a switch to a heterozygous phenotype. Here we report the presence of 7B2 and galanin in these heterozygous cells, which suggests that for the expression of 7B2, but not for that of galanin, the relative amount of mutant VP precursor must be diminished. Possible underlying mechanisms for this differential phenotypic expression of coexisting peptides are compartmentalization of precursor synthesis within the RER or a competition for sites involved in the translocation of the functionally reduced RER.