Osteocalcin-immunoreactive neurons in the vagal and glossopharyngeal sensory ganglia of the rat

H. Ichikawa, H. W. Jin, M. Fujita, N. Nagaoka, Tomosada Sugimoto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Immunohistochemistry for osteocalcin (OC) was performed on the rat vagal and glossopharyngeal sensory ganglia. OC-immunoreactive (IR) neurons were detected in the jugular (10%), petrosal (11%) and nodose ganglia (6%). The cell size analysis demonstrated that OC-IR neurons were predominantly small to medium-sized in the jugular ganglion (mean±S.D.=356.3±192.2 μm 2, range=86.5-831.5 μm 2). On the other hand, such neurons were medium-sized to large in the petrosal (mean±S.D.=725. 6±280.7 μm 2, range=124.7-1540.4 μm 2) and nodose ganglia (mean±S.D.=857.5±330.2 μm 2, range=367.1-1608.0 μm 2). In the circumvallate papilla, OC-IR nerve fibers were located in the vicinity of taste buds. Some taste bud cells were also immoureactive for the calcium-binding protein (CaBP). In the carotid body, however, OC-IR nerve fibers could not be detected. Retrograde tracing with fluorogold revealed that OC-IR nerve fibers in the circumvallate papilla mainly originated from the petrosal ganglion. These findings may suggest that OC-IR petrosal neurons have chemoreceptive function in the tongue.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)129-133
Number of pages5
JournalBrain Research
Volume1031
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 7 2005

Keywords

  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Jugular ganglion
  • Nodose ganglion
  • Osteocalcin
  • Petrosal ganglion
  • Taste bud

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuroscience(all)
  • Molecular Biology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Developmental Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Osteocalcin-immunoreactive neurons in the vagal and glossopharyngeal sensory ganglia of the rat'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this