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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Immunostaining to Visualize Murine Enteric Nervous System Development
Published on: April 29, 2015
Ontogeny of a new enteric peptide, neuropeptide W (NPW), in the developing rat stomach
Muhtashan S Mondal1, Hideki Yamaguchi, Yukari Date
1Division of Neurology, Respirology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan.
Abstract:
Neuropeptide W (NPW), a novel endogenous peptide for G protein-coupled receptors GPR7 and GPR8, is expressed in the gastric antral mucosa of rat, mouse, and human stomachs. Here, we studied the ontogeny of NPW in the developing rat stomach. Real-time RT-PCR showed that NPW gene expression was initially detectable in embryonic day 14 (E14) stomach and gradually increased during the progress of age until birth, postnatal day 1 (P1). NPW mRNA level in the stomach increased again from the weaning period (P21) until reaching adulthood. Immunohistochemistry using polyclonal antibodies raised against rat NPW revealed that NPW-positive cells were detected in the P1 antral stomach and gradually increased during the development of age. Furthermore, double immunohistochemistry demonstrated that NPW colocalized with gastrin in P1 rat stomach. These data will provide clues to physiological functions of NPW in the development of rat stomach.
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