Ontogeny of Diazepam Binding Inhibitor/Acyl‐CoA Binding Protein mRNA and Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor mRNA Expression in the Rat¹

Abstract

The Diazepam Binding Inhibitor/Acyl-CoA Binding Protein (DBI/ACBP) has been implicated in different functions, as acyl-CoA transporter and as an endogenous ligand at the GABA(A) receptor and the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR). The latter is thought to be involved in control of steroidogenesis. We studied the ontogeny of DBI/ACBP and PBR mRNA expression in embryos and offspring of time-pregnant Long Evans rats by in-situ hybridization with 33P-endlabelled oligonucleotides. Both mRNAs were present in embryo and placenta at gestational day (G)11, the earliest stage studied. DBI/ACBP mRNA was strongly expressed from embryonic through mid-foetal stages in central nervous system (maximum in neuroepithelium), cranial and sympathetic ganglia, anterior pituitary, adrenal cortex, thyroid, thymus, liver and (late foetal) brown adipose tissue, moderately in testis, heart, lung and kidney. In brain, a late foetal decrease of DBI/ACBP mRNA was followed by an increase at postnatal day 6. Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor mRNA expression started very low and increased to moderate levels in adrenal cortex and medulla, testis, thyroid, brown adipose tissue, liver, heart, lung, salivary gland at mid- to late-foetal stages. Data suggest a significant role of DBI/ACBP at early developmental stages. Both proteins may be involved in the control of foetal steroidogenesis. However, differences in developmental patterns indicate that additional functions may be equally important during ontogeny, such as the involvement in lipid metabolism in the case of DBI/ACBP.

The Anorexigenic Action of the Octadecaneuropeptide (ODN) in Goldfish is Mediated Through the MC4R- and Subsequently the CRH Receptor-Signaling Pathways

“…High concentrations of endozepines occur in rat hypothalamic regions that are implicated in the regulation of feeding behavior, such as the arcuate nucleus (ARC), the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei, and the lateral hypothalamus (Alho et al 1985;Tonon et al 1990;Malagon et al 1993;Bürgi et al 1999). Consistent with this observation, behavioral studies have shown that intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of ODN and its C-terminal octapeptide (OP) fragment attenuates food consumption in rodents (Garcia de mateos-Verchere et al 2001;Do Rego et al 2007;Compère et al 2010).…”

The Gene Encoding the Acyl-CoA-binding Protein Is Activated by Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ through an Intronic Response Element Functionally Conserved between Humans and Rodents

“…The mammalian ACBP gene is a typical housekeeping gene (11), and ACBP appears to be ubiquitously expressed from early stages of mammalian embryogenesis (12) as well as in adult tissues (reviewed in Ref. 13).…”

Expression Profile and Up-Regulation of Prax-1 mRNA by Antidepressant Treatment in the Rat Brain

“…PRAX-1 protein was shown to be present in both mitochondrial and cytoplasmic compartments (Galiegue et al, 1999). A comparison of PRAX-1 and PBR expression profiles revealed that some tissues, like lung or testis, express PBR but are devoid of detectable PRAX-1 expression (Burgi et al, 1999). Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis proved this protein to be highly expressed in the hippocampus, which demonstrates a very low level of PBR expression (Anholt et al, 1985).…”