Colchicine-induced expression of proneurotensin mRNA in rat striatum and hypothalamus

The effect of colchicine treatment on proneurotensin mRNA expression was examined using a sensitive non-radioactive in situ hybridization histochemistry technique with an enzyme-labelled antisense oligonucleotide probe. Intraventricular injection of colchicine rapidly induced strong neurotensin mRNA expression in a number of neurons in the dorsomedial part of the caudate putamen, and in the paraventricular, and arcuate nuclei while an induction of neurotensin mRNA was not observed in vehicle (saline)-injected animals. Neurotensin mRNA was not induced significantly in other periventricular areas such as the medial preoptic area or the lateral septum. These results indicate that colchicine can itself rapidly induce neurotensin mRNA expression and that this induction is specific to certain cell populations in the vicinity of the ventricles. These results demonstrate that colchicine should be used with caution in immunohistochemical studies demonstrating the normal distribution of peptide immunoreactivity or mRNA.