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Galanin: Distribution, ontogeny and expression following manipulation of the endocrine and nervous systems

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Galanin

Part of the book series: Wenner-Gren Center International Symposium Series ((WGS))

Abstract

Since its discovery in extracts of pig intestine (Tatemoto et al., 1983), galanin has been found in many other locations in the central and peripheral nervous systems and also the anterior pituitary gland (Rökaeus et al., 1984; Skofitsch and Jacobowitz, 1985a; Bishop et al., 1986; Kaplan et al., 1988). Like most, if not all, known regulatory peptides, it coexists with neurotransmitters and other peptides (Melander et al., 1986), and its levels vary with physiological state (Gabriel et al., 1990). No definite roles have yet been ascribed to the peptide, though it seems to be involved in release of various hormones such as growth hormone and prolactin (Bauer et al., 1986; Ottlecz et al., 1986; Murakami et al., 1987; Melander et al., 1987) and may act as a growth promoter (Woll and Rozengurt, 1989). Experimental work has been confined to the rat and little is known of the distribution and effects of galanin in man. In this chapter we describe the immunocytochemical distribution of galanin in adult human brain and in developing and adult human and rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia. Changes in galanin immunoreactivity in the rat after experimental nerve injury and in man in some pathological conditions are described. Galanin messenger RNA (mRNA) has been shown in some of the material, Anterior pituitary galanin-like immunoreactivity in the rat has been assessed during development and after manipulation of the endocrine system (oestrogen treatment, gonadectomy) and human pituitary galanin has been examined in autopsy material and in tumours.

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Authors
  1. J. M. Polak
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  2. S. Gibson
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  3. S. Gentleman
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  4. J. Steel
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  5. S. Van Noorden
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histology and Neurobiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Tomas Hökfelt

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, University of Stockholm, Sweden

    Tamas Bartfai

  3. Laboratory of Clinical Science, NIMH, Bethesda, USA

    David Jacobowitz

  4. Wenner-Gren Center Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden

    David Ottoson

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© 1991 The Wenner-Gren Center

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Polak, J.M., Gibson, S., Gentleman, S., Steel, J., Van Noorden, S. (1991). Galanin: Distribution, ontogeny and expression following manipulation of the endocrine and nervous systems. In: Hökfelt, T., Bartfai, T., Jacobowitz, D., Ottoson, D. (eds) Galanin. Wenner-Gren Center International Symposium Series. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12664-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12664-4_9

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-12666-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-12664-4

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