Event Abstract

Deficits of Hypothalamic GLUT2 Immunolabeling After Streptozotocin Microinjection into the Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus of the Rat

  • 1 University of Pécs, Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Hungary
  • 2 University of Pécs and Neurophysiology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Hungary

Glucose monitoring (GM) neurons of the hypothalamus are important in the regulation of feeding and metabolism. We have shown recently that streptozotocin (STZ) administration into the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) elicits selective destruction of specific GM neurons causing severe deficits of feeding and metabolism. STZ is selectively toxic to cells expressing the type-2 glucose transport protein GLUT2. This transporter was first found in pancreatic b-cells, and it is mainly localized to GM neurons in the brain. In the present study, we were interested whether STZ microinjections into the VMH cause loss of hypothalamic GLUT2 immunolabeling in the rat. Young adult male rats (n=3) were bilaterally microinjected with 0.75 µl 0,0037 M STZ into the VMH. Rats injected with physiological saline and untreated animals served as controls (n=4). Histological sections of brain and pancreas were immunolabeled with GLUT2-specific antibodies after 48h survival. We found a massively reduced GLUT2 immunolabeling in the periventricular hypothalamic nuclei in brains of STZ-microinjected animals without any difference in immunopositivity of pancreatic β-cells against controls. Our preliminary results suggest that the metabolic and behavioral changes following hypothalamic STZ injections can be explained by a selective destruction of GLUT2-expressing neurons of the GM network.

Acknowledgements

Supported by: OTKA K 68431, Ajinomoto 51064/2009, and HAS

Keywords: Molecular and cellular neurobiology, Neuroscience

Conference: 13th Conference of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society (MITT), Budapest, Hungary, 20 Jan - 22 Jan, 2011.

Presentation Type: Abstract

Topic: Molecular and cellular neurobiology

Citation: Telkes I, Szalay C, Lénárd L and Karádi Z (2011). Deficits of Hypothalamic GLUT2 Immunolabeling After Streptozotocin Microinjection into the Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus of the Rat. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 13th Conference of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society (MITT). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2011.84.00055

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Received: 03 Mar 2011; Published Online: 23 Mar 2011.

* Correspondence: Dr. I. Telkes, University of Pécs, Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs, Hungary, ildiko.telkes@aok.pte.hu