Abstract
The aim of this report is to gather available evidence from the literature and to provide fresh evidence from new experiments for the morphological intraneuronal correlates for transmitter synthesis, packaging, transport, uptake, and metabolism in the mammalian central nervous system. A large body of literature is available for the catecholamines (norepinephrine and dopamine) and gamma-amino butyric acid and they have been the subject of recent extensive reviews (Bloom, 1973; Roberts et al., 1976). The present report will explore the indoleamine-serotonin systems. The pathways for the biosynthesis and catabolism of serotonin (5HT) and related indoleamines are well known and aptly discussed by Cooper et al., 1974, pp. 175–199. The essential steps are summarized in Table 1. The essential amino acid tryptophan is converted enzymatically by tryptophan hydroxylase, the rate limiting enzyme, to 5-hydroxytryptophan which undergoes decarboxylation to form 5-hydroxytryptamine or serotonin (5HT). These initial steps represent the synthesis of 5HT; once formed, 5HT is stored, transported or released by the indole amine neuron in the course of its activity. 5HT is metabolized by monoamine oxidases in the presence of aldehyde dehydrogenase to form 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid. This report will review the findings of several pertinent studies using cytochemical or immunological methods in order to discover the intracellular organelles in indoleamine neurons which relate to the synthesis, transport, uptake, and catabolism of 5HT.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aghajanian, G.K., Bloom, F.E., Lovell, R.A., Sheard, M.H., and Freedman, D.X., 1966, The uptake of 5-hydroxytryptamine-3h from the cerebral ventricles: autoradiographic localization, Biochem. Pharm. 15: 1401–1403.
Andrezik, J.A., and Chan-Palay, V., 1977, The nucleus paragiganto-cellularis lateralis (PGCL): Definition and afferents, Anat. Rec. 184: 524–525.
Andrezik, J.A., Chan-Palay, V., and Palay, S.L., 1977, The nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis in Rat. Its morphology and afferents as demonstrated by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase, Exptl. Brain Res., in press.
Bloom, F.E., 1973, Ultrastructural identification of catecholamine-containing central synaptic terminals, J. Histochern. Cytoehem. 21: 333–348.
Bloom, F.E., Hoffer, B.J., Siggins, G.R., Barker, J.L., and Nicoll, R.A., 1972, Effects of serotonin on central neurons: Microiontophoretic administration. Fed. Proc. 31: 97–106.
Calas, A., Besson, M.J., Gaughy, G., Alonso, G., Glowinski, J., and Cheramy, A., 1976, Radioautographic study of in vivo incorporation of 3H-monoamines in the cat caudate nucleus: identification of serotoninergic fibers. Brain Res. 118: 1–13.
Chan-Palay, V., 1975, Fine structure of labelled axons in the cerebellar cortex and nuclei of rodents and primates after intraventricular infusions with tritiated serotonin. Anat. Embryol. 148: 235–265.
Chan-Palay, V., 1976, Serotonin axons in the supra-and subependymal plexuses and in the leptomeninges; their roles in local alterations of cerebrospinal fluid and vasomotor activity, Brain Res. 102: 103–130.
Chan-Palay, V., 1977a, “Cerebellar Dentate Nucleus; Organization, Cytology and Transmitters”, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York.
Chan-Palay, V., 1977b, Demonstration of indoleamine neurons and their processes in the rat brain and their loss in chronic diet-induced thiamine deficiency, J. comp. Neurol., in press.
Chan-Palay, V., 1977c, The paratrigeminal nucleus. II. Identification and interrelations of catecholamine, indoleamine axons and Substance P immunoreactive cells in the neuropil, J. Neurocytol., in press.
Cooper, J.R., Bloom, F.E., and Roth, R.H., 1974, “The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology”, pp. 175–201, Oxford University Press, New York.
Couch, J.R., 1970, Responses of neurons in the raphe nuclei to serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine and their correlation with an excitatory synaptic input. Brain Res. 19: 137–150.
Dahlström, A., and Fuxe, K., 1964, Evidence for the existence of monoamine-containing neurons in the central nervous system. I. Demonstration of monoamines in the cell bodies of brain stem neurons. Acta physiol. scand., Vol. 62, Suppl. 232: 3–56.
Descarries, L., Beaudet, A., and Watkins, K.C., 1975, Serotonin nerve terminals in adult rat neocortex, Brain Res. 100: 563–588.
Fuxe, K., and Ungerstedt, U., 1968, Histochemical studies on the distribution of catecholamines and 5-hydroxytryptamine after intraventricular injections, Histochemie 13: 16–28.
Fuxe, K., Hökfelt, T., Ritzén, M., and Ungerstedt, U., 1968, Studies on uptake of intraventricularly administered tritiated noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine with combined fluorescence histochemical and autoradiographic techniques, Histochemie 16: 186–194.
Joh, T.H., Shikimi, T., Pickel, V.M., Reis, D.J., 1975, Brain tryptophan hydroxylase: purification of production of antibodies to, and cellular and ultrastructural localization in serotonergic neurons of rat midbrain, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72: 3575–3579.
Léger, L., and Descarries, L., 1976, The serotonin innervation of rat locus coeruleus: axon terminals with a special type of presynaptic organelle, Soc. Neuroscience (Abstract).
Mouren-Mathieu, A.M., Léger, L., and Descarries, L., 1976, Radio-autographic visualization of central monoamine neurons after local instillation of tritiated serotonin and norepinephrine in adult cat, Soc. Neuroscience Abstracts, Vol. II, Part 1, pg. 497.
Pickel, V.M., Joh, T.H., and Reis, D.J., 1976, Monoamine synthesizing enzymes in central dopaminergic, noradrenergic and serotonergic neurons. Immunocytochemical localization by light and electron microscopy. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 24: 792–806.
Pickel, V.M., Joh, T.H., and Reis, D.J., 1977, A serotonergic innervation of noradrenergic neurons in nucleus locus coeruleus: demonstration by immunocytochemical localization of the transmitter specific enzymes tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylase, Brain Res., in press.
Robert, E., Chase, T.N., and Tower, D.B., 1976, “GABA in Nervous System Function”, Kroc Foundation Series, Vol. 5, Raven Press, New York.
Sternberger, L., 1974, “Immunocytochemistry”, Foundations of Immunology Series, (A. Osier and L. Weiss, eds)., pg. 171, Prentice Hall Inc., New Jersey.
Tennyson, V.M., Heikkila, R., Mytilineou, C., Cote, L., and Cohen, G., 1974, 5-hydroxydopamine ‘tagged’ neuronal boutons in rabbit neostriatum: interrelationship between vesicles and axonal membranes, Brain Res. 82: 341–348.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1978 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chan-Palay, V. (1978). Morphological Correlates for Transmitter Synthesis, Transport, Release, Uptake and Catabolism: A Study of Serotonin Neurons in the Nucleus Paragigantocellularis Lateralis. In: Fonnum, F. (eds) Amino Acids as Chemical Transmitters. NATO Advanced Study Institutes Series, vol 16. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4030-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4030-0_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-4032-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-4030-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive