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Interleukin-18 and Its Receptor Are Expressed in Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons of Mouse and Rat Forebrain

Interleukin-18 and Its Receptor Are Expressed in Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons of Mouse and Rat Forebrain

Sachi Kuwahara-Otani, Seishi Maeda, Kimiko Kobayashi, Yusuke Minato, Koichi Tanaka, Kyosuke Yamanishi, Masaki Hata, Wen Li, Tetsu Hayakawa, Koichi Noguchi, Haruki Okamura, Hideshi Yagi

Neurosci Lett. 2017 May 22;650:33-37.

PMID: 28373090

Abstract:

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine and an important mediator of peripheral inflammation and host immune response. IL-18 functions through its binding with the IL-18 receptor (IL-18R), which consists of two chains, an IL-18-binding α chain (IL-18Rα) and a signaling β chain. IL-18 and IL-18R are expressed in the brain; however, limited information is available on IL-18R expression and the role of IL-18 in neurosecretory cells. In the present study, we used immunohistochemical techniques to investigate the distribution of IL-18Rα and IL-18 in the hypothalamus of male mice and rats. IL-18Rα-positive and IL-18-positive perikarya and fibers were found scattered throughout the medial septal nucleus, the nuclei of the vertical and horizontal limbs of the diagonal band, the organum vasculosum of the laminae terminalis, the preoptic area, and the anterior hypothalamic area. It is well known that gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal somata and/or fibers are found in these regions. Therefore, we performed double-label immunofluorescence for IL-18Rα/IL-18 and GnRH. IL-18Rα was expressed in approximately 60% of GnRH-immunopositive perikarya, and IL-18 was distributed in all GnRH-immunopositive perikarya. These observations suggest that IL-18 exerts direct effects upon the GnRH neuron via IL-18Rα and acts on GnRH neurons through an autocrine or paracrine pathway.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
IAR42413369	Interleukin-18 from rat			Price

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