Publication: Architecture of the mammalian pituitary
cholinergic system with observations
on a putative blood acetylcholine sensor
Authors
Caffé, A. R.
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Publisher
Murcia : F. Hernández
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
Acetylcholine ( ACh) play s an important role
in pituitary gland function. Little is known, however,
about the source and trajectory of pituitary ACh, the
location of pituitary cholinergic receptors. and the
pathways along which the release of pituitary ACh is
controlled. Therefore choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)
immunoreactive profiles have been investigated in the
rat median eminence and pituitary. Furthermore, both
muscarinic- (mAChRp-L) and nicotinic receptor proteinlike
(nAChRp-L) immunoreactivity have been examined
in the rat, rabbit, and cat pituitary. The results have
demonstrated that the rat pituitary ChAT network is
composed of neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate
nucleus and a great number of terminals in the median
eminence. In the pituitary, ChAT immunolabeled profiles
were virtually absent. This suggests that much of the
ACh acting on pituitary cells is released as a humoral
factor from the median eminence. Al1 the examined
animals expressed mAChRp-L immunostained endocrine
cells in the intermediate lobe. Apart from this,
marked species differences in AChRp-L immunolabeled
profiles have been found. In addition, strong mAChRp-L
immunoreactive rod to cone-shaped bodies were
detected associated with blood vessels of the anterior
and intermediate lobes in the rat and rabbit, but not in
the cat. The immunolabeling was present in particles on
the body plasma membrane. These characteristics
suggest that the function of these structures might be to
sense pituitary blood ACh levels. Consequently the
name hlood acetylcholine reading hodies (BARBs) was
adopted to indicate these stmctures. It is proposed that
the BARBs may play a role in the feedback control of
ACh release from the median eminence.
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