Abstract
The distribution of acetylcholinesterase and of two neuropeptide (substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide) immunoreactivities has been investigated in sensory neurons of lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia during chick embryo development, combining immunolocalization of neuropeptides with simultaneous histochemical detection of acetylcholinesterase, in order to study co-localization of the two peptides and their relations with acetylcholinesterase. Acetylcholinesterase at E7 of development appears in only a few neurons, usually the larger ones located in the lateroventral region of the ganglia. As development proceeds the number of neurons and intensity of staining increase. Until E12–13 acetylcholinesterase positivity is limited to the region of the ganglion containing larger neurons. At later stages (E20) it spreads progessively, leading to staining of cells over the whole ganglion. Substance P-like immunoreactivity appears at E6 and for calcitonin gene-related peptide at E7. These immunoreactivities progressively increase with development, remaining limited to the small neuron compartment of the dorsomedial region of the ganglion. Immunoreactivity for both neuropeptides reaches a maximum around E10–13 and then declines. Using simultaneous double immunostaining, calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P-like immunoreactivities are largely co-localized, although their distribution is not completely coincident. Neuropeptide-positive cells are usually devoid of any acetylcholinesterase activity until El 5. They become positive for the enzyme at later stages. The significance of acetylcholinesterase expression in sensory neurons and the possible relation of its appearance and neuron size is discussed.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.