IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF A METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE-RECEPTOR, MGLUR7, IN GANGLION NEURONS OF THE RAT - WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE PRESENCE IN GLUTAMATERGIC GANGLION NEURONS

Immunoreactivity for the metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7) an d that for phosphate-activated glutaminase (FAG) were examined in the trigeminal (TG), dorsal root (DRG), nodose (NG), superior cervical, ce liac, and pelvic ganglia of the rat. Virtually all neuronal cell bodie s showed mGluR7-like immunoreactivity (mGluR7-LI) in these ganglia On the otherhand, FAG-like immunoreactivity (PAG) was seen in almost all neuronal cell bodies in the TG, DRG and NG, but not in the other gangl ia. Go-existence of mGluR7- and PAG-LI in the TG, DRG and NG was confi rmed by a double-immunofluorescence immunohistochemical method. The re sults indicate that virtually all sensory ganglion neurons are glutama tergic and equipped with mGluR7.