Vesicular glutamate transporters type 1 and 2 expression in axon terminals of the rat nucleus of the solitary tract
- 31 December 2006
- journal article
- Published by Elsevier BV in Neuroscience
- Vol. 137 (1), 73-81
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.08.048
Abstract
The nucleus of the solitary tract is the site of termination of primary afferent fibers running in the facial, glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves. The present study was performed to map the distribution of glutamatergic axons terminals in the rat nucleus of the solitary tract using immunodetection of vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and vesicular glutamate transporter 2. The two vesicular glutamate transporters were differentially distributed among nucleus of the solitary tract subdivisions. Vesicular glutamate transporter 1 immunoreactivity was mostly found in the lateral part of the nucleus (ventrolateral, interstitial and intermediate subdivisions) whereas vesicular glutamate transporter 2 labeling was distributed throughout the nucleus of the solitary tract. Electron microscope examination indicated that vesicular glutamate transporter immunoreactivity was localized in axon terminals filled with round synaptic vesicles. After injection of cholera toxin B subunit in sensory ganglia, anterograde labeling was found in vesicular glutamate transporter 1, as well as vesicular glutamate transporter 2-immunoreactive boutons. Double immunolabeling experiments allowed distinctions between terminals expressing either vesicular glutamate transporter 1 or vesicular glutamate transporter 2 or both vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 immunoreactivities. The latter population, expressing both transporters immunolabeling, completely disappeared after deafferentation induced by removal of sensory ganglia. This study indicates that vesicular glutamate transporter content identifies three different subpopulations of glutamatergic boutons in the nucleus of the solitary tract and provides definitive evidence that primary afferent neurons contribute glutamatergic terminals to the nucleus of the solitary tract.Keywords
This publication has 39 references indexed in Scilit:
- Vesicular glutamate transporters in the spinal cord, with special reference to sensory primary afferent synapsesJournal of Comparative Neurology, 2004
- The identification of vesicular glutamate transporter 3 suggests novel modes of signaling by glutamateProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2002
- The Expression of Vesicular Glutamate Transporters Defines Two Classes of Excitatory SynapseNeuron, 2001
- Uptake of Glutamate into Synaptic Vesicles by an Inorganic Phosphate TransporterScience, 2000
- Sensory Afferent Neurotransmission in Caudal Nucleus Tractus Solitarius—Common DenominatorsChemical Senses, 1996
- Ultrastructural organization of the interstitial subnucleus of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius in the cat: Identification of vagal afferentsJournal of Neurocytology, 1991
- Transneuronal transport of herpes simplex virus from the cervical vagus to brain neurons with axonal inputs to central vagal sensory nuclei in the ratNeuroscience, 1991
- Segregation of coarse and fine glossopharyngeal axons in the visceral nucleus of the tractus solitarius of the catBrain Research, 1989
- Viscerotopic representation of the upper alimentary tract in the rat: Sensory ganglia and nuclei of the solitary and spinal trigeminal tractsJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1989
- The central projections of the trigeminal, facial, glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves: an autoradiographic study in the ratJournal of the Autonomic Nervous System, 1982