Neuropeptide B (NPB) and neuropeptide W(NPW) are endogenous neuropeptide ligands for the G protein-coupled receptors NPBWR1 and NPBWR2. Here we report that the majority of NPW neurons in the mesolimbic region possess tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity, indicating that a small subset of dopaminergic neurons coexpress NPW. These NPW-containing neurons densely and exclusively innervate two limbic system nuclei in adult mouse brain: the lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the lateral part of the central amygdala nucleus (CeAL). In the CeAL of wild-type mice, restraint stress resulted in an inhibition of cellular activity, but this stress-induced inhibition was attenuated in the CeAL neurons of NPW-/- mice. Moreover, the response of NPW-/- mice to either formalin-induced pain stimuli or a live rat (i. e., a potential predator) was abnormal only when they were placed in a novel environment: The mice failed to show the normal species-specific self-protective and aversive reactions. In contrast, the behavior of NPW-/- mice in a habituated environment was indistinguishable from that of wildtype mice. These results indicate that the NPW/NPBWR1 system could play a critical role in the gating of stressful stimuli during exposure to novel environments.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/616999 |
| Date | 24 May 2016 |
| Creators | Motoike, Toshiyuki, Long, Jeffrey M., Tanaka, Hirokazu, Sinton, Christopher M., Skach, Amber, Williams, S. Clay, Hammer, Robert E., Sakurai, Takeshi, Yanagisawa, Masashi |
| Contributors | Univ Arizona, Dept Med, Arizona Resp Ctr |
| Publisher | NATL ACAD SCIENCES |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article |
| Rights | Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by National Academy of Sciences. |
| Relation | http://www.pnas.org/lookup/doi/10.1073/pnas.1518658113 |
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