ABSTRACT
Gene expression and content of the key enzymes involved in the synthesis of noradrenaline-tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine beta-hydroxylase-was evaluated in the organ of Zuckerkandl of rats in the critical period of morphogenesis. High levels of mRNA and protein of both enzymes in the perinatal period of development and their sharp decline on day 30 of postnatal development were detected. These data indicate that the synthesis of noradrenaline in the organ of Zuckerkandl is maximum during the critical period of morphogenesis and decreases during the involution of this paraganglion.
Subject(s)
Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic , Morphogenesis , Norepinephrine/biosynthesis , Para-Aortic Bodies/metabolism , Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/metabolism , Animals , Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase/genetics , Male , Para-Aortic Bodies/physiology , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/geneticsABSTRACT
We have analyzed the perinatal development of galanin-like immunoreactivity (GAL-LI) and catecholamines (CA) in the paraaortal paraganglia (PGGL) and adrenal glands. In the PGGL, the tissue content of GAL-LI was highest on the day of birth and decreased postnatally. The fetal levels were lower than at birth. In contrast, the content of CA in the PGGL increased with age. In the adrenal glands, the contents of both GAL-LI and CA also increased with age. During the first postnatal week the contents of both GAL-LI and CA in the PGGL were markedly higher than in the adrenal glands. Chromatographic analysis of GAL-LI in extracts of fetal and postnatal rabbit PGGL, respectively, indicated that most of the GAL-LI from both age groups co-eluted with synthetic porcine GAL. An additional, apparently more polar, component was also detected at both ages, which may represent a differently processed form of the peptide. The high content of GAL-LI in the PGGL at birth may reflect an enhanced synthesis associated with birth.
