title: Regional distribution of the prostaglandin E2 receptor EP1 in the rat brain: accumulation in Purkinje cells of the cerebellum creator: Candelario-Jalil, Eduardo creator: Slawik, Helen creator: Ridelis, Ingrid creator: Waschbisch, Anne creator: Akundi, Ravi S. creator: Hull, Michael creator: Fiebich, Bernd L. subject: Neurochemistry description: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), is a major prostanoid produced by the activity of cyclooxygenases (COX) in response to various physiological and pathological stimuli. PGE2 exerts its effects by activating four specific E-type prostanoid receptors (EP1, EP2, EP3 and EP4). In the present study, we analyzed the expression of the PGE2 receptor EP1 (mRNA and protein) in different regions of the adult rat brain (hippocampus, hypothalamus, striatum, prefrontal cerebral cortex, parietal cortex, brain stem and cerebellum) using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemical methods. On a regional basis, levels of EP1 mRNA were the highest in parietal cortex and cerebellum. At the protein level, we found a very strong expression of EP1 in cerebellum as revealed by Western blotting experiments. Furthermore, the present study provides for the first time evidence that the EP1 receptor is highly expressed in the cerebellum, where the Purkinje cells displayed a very high immunolabeling of their perikaryon and dendrites as observed in the immunohistochemical analysis. Results from the present study indicate that the EP1 prostanoid receptor is expressed in specific neuronal populations, which possibly determine the region specific response to PGE2. publisher: Humana Press contributor: Gozes, Illana date: 2005 type: Journal (Paginated) type: PeerReviewed format: application/pdf identifier: http://cogprints.org/5618/1/EP1_paper_J_Mol_Neurosci_2005.pdf identifier: Candelario-Jalil, Eduardo and Slawik, Helen and Ridelis, Ingrid and Waschbisch, Anne and Akundi, Ravi S. and Hull, Michael and Fiebich, Bernd L. (2005) Regional distribution of the prostaglandin E2 receptor EP1 in the rat brain: accumulation in Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. [Journal (Paginated)] relation: http://cogprints.org/5618/