Prolyl carboxypeptidase (PRCP), a serine protease, is widely expressed in the body including liver, lung, kidney and brain, with a variety of known substrates such as plasma prekallikrein, bradykinin, angiotensins II and III, and α-MSH, suggesting its role in the processing of tissue-specific substrates. In the brain, PRCP has been shown to inactivate hypothalamic α-MSH, thus modulating melanocortin signaling in the control of energy metabolism. While its expression pattern has been reported in the hypothalamus, little is known on the distribution of PRCP throughout the mouse brain. This study was undertaken to determine PRCP expression in the mouse brain. Radioactive in situ hybridization was performed to determine endogenous PRCP mRNA expression. In addition, using a gene-trap mouse model for PRCP deletion, X-gal staining was performed to further determine PRCP distribution. Results from both approaches showed that PRCP gene is broadly expressed in the brain.
Keywords: 3v; 4v; ARC; Amyg; BLA; Brain; CA; Cb; Central Nervous System; Cing Ctx; D3v; DG; DMH; DMV; Distribution; ECu; Gi; HP; HYP; LH; LPO; LSN; LVe; Lv; MC3R; MC4R; MHb; MM; MPO; MVe; NTS; PRCP: CNS; PV; PVN; Pir Ctx; Pir ctx; Pn; PnO; Pr; Prolyl carboxypeptidase; RtTg; SN; SO; Sp5; Thal; Thalamus; VM; VMH; VTA; Xi; ZI; ac; amygdala; anterior commissure; arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus; basolateral amygdala; cerebellum; cerebral aqueduct; cingulate cortex; dentate gyrus; dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus; dorsal third ventricle; dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus; ec; external capsule; external cuneate nucleus; f; fornix; fourth ventricle; gigantocellular reticular nucleus; hippocampus; hypothalamus; lateral hypothalamus; lateral preoptic area; lateral septal nucleus; lateral ventricle; lateral vestibular nucleus; mammillary body; medial habenular nucleus; medial preoptic area; medial preoptic nucleus; medial vestibular nucleus; melanocortin 3 receptor; melanocortin 4 receptor; nucleus of solitarius tract; paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus; paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus; piriform cortex; pontine nuclei; pontine reticular nucleus; prepositus nucleus; reticulotegmental nucleus of the pons; spinal trigeminal nucleus; substantia nigra; supraoptic nucleus; third ventricle; ventral tegmental area; ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus; ventromedial nucleus of the thalamus; ventrotegmental area; xiphoid thalamic nucleus; zona incerta; α–MSH: alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone.
© 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.