Abstract
Tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39) was identified as a potent parathyroid hormone 2 receptor (PTH2R) agonist. Existing anatomical data also support the suggestion that TIP39 is the PTH2R's endogenous ligand, but a comprehensive comparison of TIP39 and PTH2R distributions has not been performed. In the present study, we compared the distributions of TIP39 and PTH2R on adjacent mouse brain sections. In addition, we determined the locations of PTH2R-expressing cell bodies by in situ hybridization histochemistry and by labeling beta-galactosidase driven by the PTH2R promoter in knockin mice. An excellent correlation was found between the distributions of TIP39-containing fibers and PTH2R-containing cell bodies and fibers throughout the brain. TIP39 and the PTH2R are abundant in medial prefrontal, insular, and ectorhinal cortices, the lateral septal nucleus, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the fundus striati, the amygdala, the ventral subiculum, the hypothalamus, midline and intralaminar thalamic nuclei, the medial geniculate body, the periaqueductal gray, the ventral tegmental area, the superior and inferior colliculi, the parabrachial nuclei, the locus coeruleus, subcoeruleus and periolivary areas, and the nucleus of the solitary tract. Furthermore, even the subregional distribution of TIP39- and PTH2R-immunoreactive fibers in these regions showed remarkable similarities, providing anatomical evidence that TIP39 may act on the PTH2R. Based on these observations and on previous pharmacological data, we propose that TIP39 is an endogenous ligand of the PTH2R and that they form a neuromodulator system, which is optimally positioned to regulate limbic, endocrine, and auditory brain functions. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.