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Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is a peptide hormone produced mainly in the gut, pancreas and brain where it activates gene expression pathways involved in circadian rhythm. VIP RNA shows higher expression in the appendix, colon and small intestine among all human tissues, with levels in the nervous system being comparatively lower. In the mouse brain, RNA levels are widespread across many forebrain regions, while, on the protein level, moderate to strong intensity immunostaining of dense axonal networks is noticed in multiple but distinct brain regions. Strong intensity dense axonal staining is observed in the laterodorsal and mediodorsal BNST nuclei, in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, periventricularly in the anterior hypothalamus, including the paraventricular nucleus, and in the central amygdala. Moderate-intensity axonal staining is observed in the septum, hippocampus, neocortical areas and in the piriform cortex. In addition, moderate-intensity immunostaining of neuronal cell bodies is noticed in subsets of neurons throughout the neocortex and hippocampus, in the periaqueductal gray matter as well as in the olfactory bulb external plexiform layer.
Positive cells and structuresi
Manually selected location of the protein positivity, observed by immunofluorescence staining in mouse brain.