Differences in colocalization between Fos and PHI, GRP, VIP and VP in neurons of the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus after a light stimulus during the phase delay versus the phase advance period of the night.

Two groups of four rats each received a 15-minute light stimulus during the first part of the night (ZT14) and the second part (ZT19), respectively. After 45-60 minutes, the animals were killed by perfusion fixation. Adjacent Vibratome sections through the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) were double-immunostained for the presence of peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI), gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) or vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) with Fos by using fluorophore-conjugated secondary antibodies. A few sections were triple-immunostained for PHI, GRP or VIP with vasopressin (VP) and Fos. Sections were analyzed with a confocal laser scanning microscope. It turned out that the ZT19 light stimulus induced 4.2 times more nuclear profiles in the SCN immunoreactive for Fos than the light stimulus given at ZT14. The SCN of control animals did not show any Fos immunoreactivity. After the ZT14 light stimulus, approximately 33% of the Fos profiles showed colocalization with a perikaryal profile immunoreactive for PHI, GRP or VIP, whereas at ZT19, this percentage had doubled to approximately 65%. After the light stimulus at ZT14, the relatively low Fos induction was numerically and proportionally most prominent in the PHI-immunoreactive perikarya. As compared with ZT14, the increase of Fos after the ZT19 light stimulus was most pronounced in the GRP-immunoreactive perikarya (21x) followed by VIP (15x) and PHI (5x). This outcome suggests that at least three different cell groups characterized by, respectively, PHI alone, GRP, and VIP fully or partly colocalized with PHI, play a prominent role during light-induced phase shifts: the PHI neurons during light-induced phase delays, the GRP and VIP/(PHI) neurons during light-induced phase advances.