| First Author | Downs AM | Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Neuroscience | Volume | 266 |
| Pages | 178-85 | PubMed ID | 24561218 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:210336 | Mgi Id | MGI:5570506 |
| Doi | 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.02.011 | Citation | Downs AM, et al. (2014) Localization of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mRNA and protein within the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. Neuroscience 266:178-85 |
| abstractText | Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve attenuates tumor necrosis factor (TNF) synthesis by macrophages and reduces the systemic inflammatory response. Current evidence suggests that the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor present in the celiac/superior mesenteric ganglia is a key component in vagus nerve signaling to the spleen; however, there is currently no direct anatomical evidence that the alpha7 receptor is present in the murine celiac/superior mesenteric ganglia. Our study addresses this deficiency by providing anatomical evidence that the alpha7 receptor is expressed within the celiac/superior mesenteric ganglia and splenic nerve fibers using immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). alpha7 receptor mRNA is highly expressed in the celiac/superior mesenteric ganglia and at low levels in the spleen compared to the brain. Double-labeling for alpha7 and tyrosine hydroxylase shows that alpha7 receptor protein is present on noradrenergic neurons within the ganglia and prejunctionally on noradrenergic nerve fibers within the spleen. The alpha7 receptor in the ganglia provides a possible location for the action of alpha7-selective agonists, while prejunctional alpha7 receptor expressed on splenic nerves may induce an increase in norepinephrine release in a positive feedback system enhanced by lymphocyte-derived acetylcholine. |
