Abstract
In order to compare the previous immunohistochemical and immunocytochemical data on the distribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α4 subunit-like immunoreactivity with the expression of α4 mRNA in the rat cerebellar cortex, the present study determined the cellular distribution of α4 mRNA in the rat cerebellar cortex. Northern blot analysis revealed two α4 mRNA bands in the rat cerebellum and three in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and striatum. The total level of these transcripts was lower in the cerebellum than in the other four regions. The expression of α4 mRNA was high in Purkinje cells and granular cells, whereas low expression was detected in the molecular layer. These results suggest that the expression of α4 mRNA is closely related to the α4-like immunoreactivity in the molecular and Purkinje cell layers. In the granular layer, α4 mRNA was very highly and broadly expressed in comparison with the α4-like immunoreactivity.
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