Mc. Miquel et al., POSTNATAL-DEVELOPMENT AND LOCALIZATION OF 5-HT1A RECEPTOR MESSENGER-RNA IN RAT FOREBRAIN AND CEREBELLUM, Developmental brain research, 80(1-2), 1994, pp. 149-157
The localization of the rat brain 5-HT1A receptor mRNA was analyzed by
RNAse mapping and in situ hybridization during postnatal development,
particularly in the cerebellum. The regional distribution of 5-HT1A m
RNA during the first 2 postnatal weeks was different from that found i
n adults. In some areas of the immature brain (hippocampus, cerebral c
ortex), 5-HT1A mRNA was found in lower density than in the adult brain
. In contrast, high concentrations of the transcript were present in o
ther brain structures only during the first days after birth. Thus, in
the cerebellum, the density of 5-HT1A mRNA decreased markedly from da
y 2 to day 9 after birth and could hardly be detected in the adult ani
mal. The localization of the mRNA in the molecular/Purkinje cell layer
of the immature cerebellum agreed with that of the 5-HT1A receptor pr
otein visualized by immmunocytochemistry and was consistent with the h
ypothesis that Purkinje cells express this receptor.