Co-expression of PACAP with VIP, SP and CGRP in the Porcine Nodose Ganglion Sensory Neurons

Abstract

Our previous study revealed the expression of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in sensory distal ganglion of the vagus (nodose ganglion) neurons in the pig. As these neuropeptides may be involved in nociception, the goal of these investigations was to determine possible expression of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), SP and CGRP in the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide-immunoreactive (PACAP-IR) porcine nodose perikarya. Co-expression of these substances was examined using a double-labelling immunofluorescence technique. To reveal the ganglionic cell bodies, the pan-neuronal marker protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) was used. Quantitative analysis of the neurons revealed that 67.25% of the PGP 9.5+ somata in the right-side ganglion and 66.5% in the left side, respectively, co-expressed PACAP-IR. Moreover, 60.6% of the PACAP-IR cells in the right-side ganglion and 62.1% in the left, respectively, co-expressed VIP. SP-IR was observed in 52.2 and 39.9% of the right and left ganglia, respectively. CGRP was found in 27.7 and 34.1% of the right and left distal ganglion of the vagus, respectively. High level of co-expression of PACAP with VIP, SP and CGRP in the distal ganglia of the vagus sensory perikarya directly implicates studied peptides in their functional interaction during nociceptive vagal transduction.

Immunohistochemical characterization of the jugular (superior vagal) ganglion in the pig

“…The presence of PACAP in the jugular ganglion was described in the rat (Mulder et al 1995). Studies performed on the nodose ganglion in the pig have revealed that 67.25% of the neurones in the right, and 66.5% in the left ganglion express immunoreactivity to this peptide (Rytel L et al 2015), whereas the present study has established that in the porcine PGNV PACAP-IR neurones represent only 15% of all ganglionic nerve cells.…”

“…In the nodose and petrosal ganglia, only a few VIP-IR (Lundberg et al 1978, Helke and Hill 1988, Helke and Rabchevsky 1991, Zhuo et al 1997 or VIP mRNA-containing (Zhuo et al 1995) neurons can be detected. In the porcine sensory nodose ganglion, 40% of neurones exhibited immunoreactivity to VIP (Rytel L et al 2015), but only less than 20% VIP-positive nerve cells were observed in the vestibular ganglion (Dudek et al 2012).…”

“…The above mentioned ganglia belong to the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nerve system. Immunocytochemical properties of porcine cranial sensory ganglia neurons were also previously investigated (Sienkiewicz et al 1995, Bulc et al 2013, Rytel L et al 2015, but these studies concerned the trigeminal and nodose ganglia.…”

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide-27 (PACAP-27) is co-stored with galanin, substance P and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in intrapancreatic ganglia of the sheep

“…Till now not much is known whether and how PACAP and SP functionally interact in the pancreas so analogies to other ganglia would be of interest. At the periphery, the co-localization of SP and PACAP is frequently noted in 40-50% of sensory neurons (Rytel et al 2014). In the rat model of neurogenic inflammation, PACAP-38 released from afferent nerve terminals has been found to inhibit outflow of SP, somatostatin and calcitonin-gene related peptide (Nemeth et al 2006).…”

“…Since the discovery in 1989, PACAP has been an object of intense anatomical, physiological and pharmacological studies. Using immunohistochemical and radioimmunoassay techniques, the expression of PACAP and its receptors has been found in numerous mammalian tissues including neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system (Masuo et al 1991, Ghatei et al 1993, Csati et al 2012, Rytel et al 2014 as well as enteric Liu 2001, Miampamba et al 2002) and intramural ganglia of the pancreas (Hannibal and Fahrenkrug 2000) and heart (Girard et al 2007). At the central level, PACAP may exert a variety of functions like modulation of hypothalamic-pituitary hormones release (Kanasaki et al 2015), food consumption and water drinking (Puig de Parada et al 1995, Mounien et al 2009), neuronal differentiation, neuroprotection (Manecka et al 2013) and many more, whereas its role at the periphery is relatively less understood.…”