Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 503, Issue 1, 26 September 2011, Pages 23-26
Neuroscience Letters

Distribution and pharmacological characterization of primate NK-2 tachykinin receptor in the central nervous system of the rhesus monkey

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2011.07.057Get rights and content

Abstract

Tachykinin NK-2 receptor, a cognate receptor for neurokinin A, expressed in the brain has been suggested as a new target for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In rodents, treatment with NK-2 receptor agonists causes anxiogenic effects, while NK-2 receptor antagonists show anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects. However, information about the distribution and functions of NK-2 receptors in the central nervous system (CNS) in primates is still lacking. Here, we examined the distribution and pharmacological profile of NK-2 receptors in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) to clarify the molecular basis of NK-2-mediated tachykininergic functions in the primate CNS. NK-2 receptors cloned from the rhesus monkey brain showed similar pharmacological properties to those of human NK-2 receptors. Substantial expression levels of NK-2 mRNA were observed in all the brain regions examined, including areas pertinent to the emotional networks such as the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and amygdala. These findings suggest that NK-2 receptors may play important roles in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.

Highlights

► NK-2 receptors cloned from the rhesus monkey brain showed similar pharmacological properties to those of human NK-2 receptors. ► Substantial expression levels of NK-2 mRNA were observed in the monkey brain, including areas pertinent to the emotional networks. ► Our data suggest that NK-2 receptors play important roles in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.

Section snippets

Contributors

Takao Oishi participated in the dissection and subdivision of the rhesus monkey brains. Masatoshi Nagano participated in the study design, cloning and quantification of NK-2 receptor mRNA, establishment of the cell lines expressing tachykinin receptors, ligand binding experiments and the writing of the manuscript. Hidenori Suzuki participated in the study design and supervision, and in the writing of the manuscript. All the authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Cooperation Research Program (Project Nos. 2009-B6 and 2010-B12) from the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (19590261 to H.S.) and a grant (S0801035 to H.S.) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

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      In these regions, SP is co-localized with monoamine neurotransmitters, acetylcholine, GABA and glutamate, as well as other tachykinins, acting as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator. In the rat brain, NK-2R (the preferred subtype for NKA) are present in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, mainly [6]; in monkeys, Nagano et al. [7] found relevant levels of NK-2R mRNA in the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and amygdala. On the contrary, NK-3R is found in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, NKB being involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia [6].

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