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Serotonin-Synthesizing Neurons in the Rostral Medullary Raphé/Parapyramidal Region Transneuronally Labelled After Injection of Pseudorabies Virus into the Rat Tail

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Abstract

Serotonin-synthesizing raphé/parapyramidal neurons (5-HT neurons) may function as sympathetic premotor neurons regulating sympathetic outflow to the cutaneous vascular bed. In the present study a genetically engineered pseudorabies virus (PRV) expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) was injected into the rat tail. After survival for 3–4 days the medulla oblongata was examined using double-label immunohistochemistry, with an antibody against GFP for the virus and an antibody against phenylalanine hydroxylase 8 (PH8) for 5-HT synthesis. Sections were examined using light microscopy, and conventional and confocal fluorescence microscopy. There were two subpopulations of PRV+ve neurons in the raphé/parapyramidal region: a more dorsally and laterally located subgroup of medium-sized and large neurons, mainly non-serotonergic, and a more ventrally located subgroup of small mainly serotonin-synthesizing neurons, including those just dorsal to the pyramids, those in raphé pallidus, and those in close relationship to the ventral surface in the parapyramidal-subependymal zone.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Jenny Hiscock (Flinders University), for the excellent help in confocal microscopy, and Dr Grant Hennig (Flinders University) for the coordinate mapping program and Ms Robyn Flook for technical help. We received financial support from the Hungarian Research Funds (OTKA) T-34231 and T-37532 and from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joint Research Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Semmelweis University of Medicine and Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1094, Budapest, Hungary

    Ida E. Tóth & Miklós Palkovits

  2. Department of Physiology, University of Szeged, H-6720, Szeged, Hungary

    Dorina E. Tóth

  3. Department of Comparative Physiology, University of Szeged, H-6701, Szeged, Hungary

    Zsolt Boldogkoi

  4. Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, H-1581, Budapest, Hungary

    Ákos Hornyák

  5. Departments of Medicine and Physiology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia

    William W. Blessing

  6. Department of Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, 5042, Bedford Park, SA, Australia

    William W. Blessing

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  1. Ida E. Tóth
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  2. Dorina E. Tóth
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  3. Zsolt Boldogkoi
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Correspondence to William W. Blessing.

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Special issue dedicated to Miklós Palkovits.

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Tóth, I.E., Tóth, D.E., Boldogkoi, Z. et al. Serotonin-Synthesizing Neurons in the Rostral Medullary Raphé/Parapyramidal Region Transneuronally Labelled After Injection of Pseudorabies Virus into the Rat Tail. Neurochem Res 31, 277–286 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-005-9018-2

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