Distribution of messenger RNAs for the orphan nuclear receptors Nurr1 and Nur77 ( NGFI-B) in adult rat brain using in situ hybridization

• Published in: Neuroscience Vol. 75; no. 1; pp. 221 - 230
• Main Authors: Xiao, Q, Castillo, S.O, Nikodem, V.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-11-1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Anatomy; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; brain; Brain Chemistry; Central nervous system; DNA-Binding Proteins - biosynthesis; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; expression; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation; immediate early genes; In Situ Hybridization; Nerve Tissue Proteins - biosynthesis; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 1; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2; Organ Specificity; Rats; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Receptors, Steroid; Reproducibility of Results; RNA, Messenger - analysis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Transcription Factors - biosynthesis; Transcription Factors - genetics; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; expression; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; IEG, immediate early gene; NGFI-B, nerve growth factor inducible B gene; immediate early genes; SSC, standard saline citrate; brain; Molecular hybridization; Vertebrata; Nuclear receptor; Mammalia; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Distribution; Gene expression; Brain (vertebrata); Immediate early gene
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(96)00159-5

Nurr1 and
Nur77 (
NGFI-B) are orphan nuclear receptors, belonging to the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor gene superfamily. They have conserved amino acid sequence in the zinc-finger DNA binding domains and similar COOH-terminal regions, but have no known ligands. However, different expression patterns during brain development and tissue distributions of these messenger RNAs imply that they might reflect a different transcriptional role in the brain. In this study, the regional and cellular expression of messenger RNAs encoding these two proteins in rat brain has been determined by
in situ hybridization.
Nurr1 messenger RNA is highly expressed in the piriform and entorhinal cortices, hippocampus, medial habenular and paraventricular thalamic nuclei. Moderate labeling was detected in layers II–V of most of the cerebral cortex, and in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, substantia nigra (pars compacta and reticularis) and interpeduncular nucleus. No
Nurr1 hybridization signal was seen in the rhombencephalon. In the cerebellum,
Nurr1 messenger RNA is present in the internal granular cell layer and Purkinje cell layer.
In contrast,
Nur77 has a widespread distribution, with the highest level of expression in the cerebral cortex. Moderate hybridization signals were detected in the hippocampus, the lateral dorsal and posterior nuclei, reuniens thalamic nuclei, and paraventricular and supraoptic hypothalamic nuclei. In the rhombencephalon, higher signals were present in the medial and lateral vestibular, dorsal cochlear and facial, and raphe magnus nuclei.
Nur77 signal was also detected in the nucleus of the spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve. In the cerebellum,
Nur77 messenger RNA is highly expressed in the Purkinje cell layer and lateral deep nucleus of the cerebellum.
Our results show that
Nurr1 and
Nur77 messenger RNAs have both overlapping and different distribution patterns within the brain, suggesting that they might regulate different sets of responsive genes.