Fos synthesis in identified magnocellular neurons varies with phenotype, stimulus, location in the hypothalamus and reproductive state

Abstract

The present study compared Fos expression in identified hypothalamic magnocellular neurons in lactating and non-lactating female rats submitted to acute haemorrhage or 24 h of water deprivation, stimuli that induced the release of both oxytocin and vasopressin. Quantitative analysis of preparations doubly immunostained for Fos and either of the neuropeptides revealed that oxytocin and vasopressin neurons synthesise Fos in response to either stimulus but to a different degree, depending on the type of neuron, the type of stimulus, the location of the neurons and the reproductive state of the animal. Thus, in terms of number of cells, haemorrhage was significantly more potent than water deprivation in inducing Fos immunoreactivity in either type of neuron in the supraoptic, paraventricular and anterior commissural nuclei. However, the Fos reaction of vasopressin cells in response to either stimulus was greater than that of oxytocin cells in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, and in the perifornical posterior nucleus and nucleus circularis in response to water deprivation. Moreover, when considering each neuronal population as a whole, it was obvious that Fos synthesis varied in relation to the location of the neurons in the different hypothalamic nuclei, suggesting the existence of functionally distinct neuronal subgroups. Finally, our analyses clearly indicated that Fos synthesis in either type of magnocellular neuron was closely linked to the reproductive state of the animal since after haemorrhage or water deprivation, the number of Fos-positive oxytocin cells in the supraoptic nucleus and Fos-positive vasopressin cells in the paraventricular nucleus was significantly less in lactating than in virgin rats.