Neurotensin Receptors During the Development of the Central Nervous System

Abstract

During the last two decades increasing evidence has accumulated supporting a role for neuropeptides as classical neurotransmitters or neuromodulators at synapses of the central and peripheral nervous systems (see Polak, 1989 for a review). Although their involvement in brain function is well documented, other possible roles, for example that of neurotrophic factor, have also been proposed based on their mitogenic activity (Hanley, 1985). Studies on neuropeptide receptor changes during brain development are suggestive of such a role. Neurotensin is one of those peptides whose receptors present developmentally regulated patterns in brain. Because of the availability of experimental tools for the analysis of its pre-and post-synaptic components, both at the mRNA and protein levels, the neurotensinergic synapse offers an interesting model to analyse transmitter receptor interactions during development. This chapter reviews the available information on changes in neurotensin receptor (NTR) binding and NTR mRNA levels and their correlation with neurotensin (NT) mRNA during the development of the rat central nervous system (CNS) the species for which most of the available data have been generated.