Localization of platelet-activating factor receptor in the rat brain.

Abstract

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) has diverse effects on various cells and tissues despite its initial characterization as an activator of platelets (Braquet et al., 1987; Izumi and Shimizu, 1995). PAF is involved in a wide variety of events in the central nervous system (CNS). This factor is related to post-ischemic neuronal injury (Panetta et al., 1989), human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV)-associated neuronal cell death (Gelbard et al., 1994), alteration of synaptic transmission (Clark et al., 1992), and induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) (Wieraszko et al., 1993; Kato et al., 1994). Also, the roles of PAF in CNS development have lately attracted attention, since a subunit of PAF acetylhydrolase is the product of the causative gene for Miller-Dieker lissencephaly (Hattori et al., 1994), a disorder due to incomplete migration of immature neurons to the cerebral cortex.