Skip to main content
. 2014 Aug 1;9(8):e103977. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103977

Figure 1. Immunofluorescent localization of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) in kisspeptin (KP) and neurokinin B (NKB)-immunoreactive (IR) neuronal elements of the infundibular region.

Figure 1

Triple-label immunofluorescent detection of CART (green), KP (red) and NKB (blue) immunoreactivities in the infundibular nucleus (Inf; A–E) and stalk (InfS; F–J) of postmenopausal women reveals a substantial degree of colocalization between the three neuropeptides. Examples for single-, double- and triple-labeled perikarya are indicated by color-coded arrowheads, whereas white arrows point to triple-labeled axon varicosities. For color-coding, see captions at the bottom of the figure. Low-power confocal image in A illustrates that considerable subsets of KP-IR (47.9±6.6%) and NKB-IR (30.0±4.9%) cell bodies in the Inf also exhibit CART signal; many of these cells are triple-labeled (white arrowhead). High-power insets show examples for different colocalization patterns. The KP and NKB neurons of the Inf, with or without CART labeling, also send abundant projections to the InfS (F–J). CART in the InfS may act on neurosecretory terminals to regulate reproduction via autocrine/paracrine mechanisms. In addition, it may also enter the portal circulation to act in the adenohypophysis. Scale bars = 50 µm in A, 60 µm in F and 20 µm in B–E and G–J.