A Group Of Phosphor-ERK1/2 Neurons In Respirtory Rhythmogenic Center-Pre-B(?)tzinger Complex Of Adult Rat

The pre-Botzinger complex (pre-BotC), a functionally and structurallyspecialized subregion in the ventrolateral medulla oblongata, is thought to bethe kernel of the respiratory rhythmogenesis in neonatal and adult mammal. Neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) immunoreactivity is strongly expressed in pre-BotC neurons, thus NK1R serves as an anatomical marker of the pre-BotC.Extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) were originally described as critical regulators of cell growth and differentiation. ERKs have been recently received increasing attention in participation of neuronal functionalregulation, especially in synaptic plasticity and memory. In the presentstudies, we found a group of phosphp-ERK1/2 (pERKl/2)-immunoreactive (ir)neurons in the ventrolateral medulla oblongata of adult rats. To determine whether ERK-ir neurons were NK1R-ir and related to respiratory function in the pre-BotC, we investigated the relationship between pERK1/2-ir and NKlR-ir neurons by combining immunofluorescence with immunogold-silver...