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Molecular Pharmacology

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Research ArticleArticle

Distribution of mRNA Encoding Three α2-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes in the Developing Mouse Embryo Suggests a Role for the α2A Subtype in Apoptosis

Ren-Xue Wang and Lee E. Limbird
Molecular Pharmacology December 1997, 52 (6) 1071-1080; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.52.6.1071
Ren-Xue Wang
Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
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Lee E. Limbird
Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
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Abstract

α2-Adrenergic receptors (α2-ARs) respond to norepinephrine and epinephrine to mediate diverse physiological effects. Using in situ hybridization, the expression pattern of the mRNA encoding the three α2-AR subtypes (α2A, α2B, and α2C) was examined in the mouse embryo. The mRNA encoding the three subtypes was first detected at stage 9.5 days postcoitus (d.p.c.) for the α2A-AR (coincident with norepinephrine availability), 11.5 d.p.c. for the α2B-AR, and 14.5 d.p.c. for the α2C-AR subtype. The mRNA encoding the α2A-AR subtype shows both the earliest and the most widespread expression pattern, including developing stomach and cecum, many craniofacial regions and areas in the central nervous system. Strikingly, the α2A-AR mRNA is expressed in the interdigital mesenchyme between stage 12.5 and 14.5 d.p.c. in parallel with digit separation, raising the possibility that the α2A-AR might contribute to the apoptotic events underlying this process. To test whether α2A-AR can signal apoptotic events, the α2A-AR subtype was introduced into two mouse mesenchymal cell lines, C3H/10t½ and NIH-3T3; expression of the α2A-AR correlated with accelerated apoptosis, as detected both by the TUNEL assay and the loss of cell viability. In contrast to the wide distribution of mRNA encoding the α2A-AR subtype, the α2B-AR mRNA was detected only in the developing liver and was most readily detectable between 11.5 and 14.5 d.p.c., when the liver is the principal site of hematopoiesis. The α2C-AR mRNA is detected in the nasal cavity and cerebellar primordium only at ≥14.5 d.p.c. These studies represent the first characterization of the temporal and spatial expressions of the α2A-AR, α2B-AR, and α2C-AR subtypes during embryogenesis and provide important insights concerning the loci and possible roles of α2-AR-mediated regulation of physiological processes during the developmental program.

Footnotes

    • Received June 27, 1997.
    • Accepted August 11, 1997.
  • Send reprint requests to: Lee E. Limbird, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 476 MRB I, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-6600. E-mail:lee.limbird{at}mcmail.vanderbilt.edu

  • ↵1 Current affiliation: BC Cancer Research Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5V 1L3.

  • This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant HL43671.

  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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Molecular Pharmacology: 52 (6)
Molecular Pharmacology
Vol. 52, Issue 6
1 Dec 1997
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Research ArticleArticle

Distribution of mRNA Encoding Three α2-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes in the Developing Mouse Embryo Suggests a Role for the α2A Subtype in Apoptosis

Ren-Xue Wang and Lee E. Limbird
Molecular Pharmacology December 1, 1997, 52 (6) 1071-1080; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.52.6.1071

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Research ArticleArticle

Distribution of mRNA Encoding Three α2-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes in the Developing Mouse Embryo Suggests a Role for the α2A Subtype in Apoptosis

Ren-Xue Wang and Lee E. Limbird
Molecular Pharmacology December 1, 1997, 52 (6) 1071-1080; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.52.6.1071
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