Abundant Gs alpha mRNA in basket cells of the dentate gyrus in adult rat hippocampus.

In situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH) has been used to study the differential distribution and relative abundance of mRNAs encoding a stimulatory alpha subunit of the G-protein (Gs alpha) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in the dorsal hippocampus in adult rat brain. The present quantitative study shows that GABAergic neurons containing high levels of GAD mRNA, express considerably more Gs alpha message than excitatory principal neurons, the granule cells of the dentate gyrus and the pyramidal cells of CA1 subfield. A subpopulation of basket cells of the dentate gyrus exhibited a uniquely high level of Gs alpha mRNA, in addition to GAD. These findings may indicate a specific functional role for Gs alpha in these GABAergic neurons in the hippocampus.