Biomaterial Database

Distribution of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase-immunoreactive perikarya and fibers in the brain of the lizard Gekko gecko. 1990

W J Smeets, and A J Jonker

Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The distribution of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT)-immunoreactive (PNMTi) cell bodies and fibers in the brain of the lizard Gekko gecko was studied by antibodies raised in rabbits against purified bovine adrenal PNMT. The PNMTi cell bodies were observed in the ventrolateral rhombencephalic tegmentum at the level of the obex. No immunoreactive perikarya were found in the nucleus of the solitary tract, the medial longitudinal fascicle or the hypothalamus. An extensive network of PNMTi fibers is present throughout the brain, extending rostrally as far as the olfactory peduncle. In the telecenphalon, moderate to dense plexuses of PNMTi fibers were observed in the medial part of the nucleus accumbens, the medial septal nucleus, the nucleus of the diagonal band, the caudoventral septal region and the central amygdaloid nucleus. In the diencephalon, the periventricular and lateral zones of the preoptic and hypothalamic areas, the medial forebrain bundle and the dorsomedial thalamic nucleus contain many PNMTi fibers. Brainstem structures innervated by PNMTi fibers are the ventral tegmental area, the substantia nigra, the periaqueductal gray, the locus coeruleus, the parabrachial region, the nucleus of the solitary tract, the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and the ventrolateral region of the caudal brainstem. Although the brain of Gekko appears to lack PNMTi cells in areas comparable to the C2 and C3 cell groups in rats, the distribution of PNMTi fibers is nevertheless strikingly similar in both groups.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007031	Hypothalamus	Ventral part of the DIENCEPHALON extending from the region of the OPTIC CHIASM to the caudal border of the MAMMILLARY BODIES and forming the inferior and lateral walls of the THIRD VENTRICLE.	Lamina Terminalis,Preoptico-Hypothalamic Area,Area, Preoptico-Hypothalamic,Areas, Preoptico-Hypothalamic,Preoptico Hypothalamic Area,Preoptico-Hypothalamic Areas
D008116	Lizards	Reptiles within the order Squamata that generally possess limbs, moveable EYELIDS, and EXTERNAL EAR openings, although there are some species which lack one or more of these structures.	Chameleons,Geckos,Chameleon,Gecko,Lizard
D008297	Male		Males
D009412	Nerve Fibers	Slender processes of NEURONS, including the AXONS and their glial envelopes (MYELIN SHEATH). Nerve fibers conduct nerve impulses to and from the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.	Cerebellar Mossy Fibers,Mossy Fibers, Cerebellar,Cerebellar Mossy Fiber,Mossy Fiber, Cerebellar,Nerve Fiber
D009434	Neural Pathways	Neural tracts connecting one part of the nervous system with another.	Neural Interconnections,Interconnection, Neural,Interconnections, Neural,Neural Interconnection,Neural Pathway,Pathway, Neural,Pathways, Neural
D009474	Neurons	The basic cellular units of nervous tissue. Each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites. Their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the NERVOUS SYSTEM.	Nerve Cells,Cell, Nerve,Cells, Nerve,Nerve Cell,Neuron
D009900	Optic Nerve	The 2nd cranial nerve which conveys visual information from the RETINA to the brain. The nerve carries the axons of the RETINAL GANGLION CELLS which sort at the OPTIC CHIASM and continue via the OPTIC TRACTS to the brain. The largest projection is to the lateral geniculate nuclei; other targets include the SUPERIOR COLLICULI and the SUPRACHIASMATIC NUCLEI. Though known as the second cranial nerve, it is considered part of the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.	Cranial Nerve II,Second Cranial Nerve,Nervus Opticus,Cranial Nerve, Second,Cranial Nerves, Second,Nerve, Optic,Nerve, Second Cranial,Nerves, Optic,Nerves, Second Cranial,Optic Nerves,Second Cranial Nerves
D010625	Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase	A methyltransferase that catalyzes the reaction of S-adenosyl-L-methionine and phenylethanolamine to yield S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine and N-methylphenylethanolamine. It can act on various phenylethanolamines and converts norepinephrine into epinephrine. (From Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992) EC 2.1.1.28.	Phenethanolamine N-Methyltransferase,Noradrenalin N-Methyltransferase,Noradrenaline N-Methyltransferase,Norepinephrine Methyltransferase,Norepinephrine N-Methyltransferase,Methyltransferase, Norepinephrine,Noradrenalin N Methyltransferase,Noradrenaline N Methyltransferase,Norepinephrine N Methyltransferase,Phenethanolamine N Methyltransferase,Phenylethanolamine N Methyltransferase
D001921	Brain	The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM.	Encephalon
D001931	Brain Mapping	Imaging techniques used to colocalize sites of brain functions or physiological activity with brain structures.	Brain Electrical Activity Mapping,Functional Cerebral Localization,Topographic Brain Mapping,Brain Mapping, Topographic,Functional Cerebral Localizations,Mapping, Brain,Mapping, Topographic Brain