Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 9, 2509-2518, Copyright © 1989 by Society for Neuroscience
Beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic 125I-pindolol binding sites in the interpeduncular nucleus of the rat: normal distribution and the effects of deafferentation
WP Battisti, RP Artymyshyn and M Murray
Department of Anatomy, Medical College of Pennsylvania/EPPI, Philadelphia 19129.
The plasticity of the beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptor subtypes was
examined in the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) of the adult rat. The
beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist 125I-pindolol (125I-PIN) was used in
conjunction with the selective subtype antagonists ICI 118,551 and ICI
89,406 to determine the subnuclear distribution of beta 1- and beta
2-adrenergic receptors in this nucleus and to correlate the receptor
distribution with the distribution of both noradrenergic afferents from the
locus coeruleus (LC) and non-noradrenergic afferents from the fasiculus
retroflexus (FR). The density of these binding sites was examined following
lesions that decreased (LC lesions) or increased (FR lesions) the density
of the noradrenergic projection in the IPN. Quantitative radioautography
indicated that beta 1-labeled binding sites account for the larger
percentage of binding sites in the IPN. The beta 1-binding sites are
densest in the those subnuclei that receive a noradrenergic projection from
the LC: the central, rostral, and intermediate subnuclei. beta 1-binding
sites are algo homogeneously distributed throughout the lateral subnuclei,
where there is no detectable noradrenergic innervation. beta 2-binding
sites have a more restricted distribution. They are concentrated in the
ventral half of the lateral subnuclei, where they account for 70% of total
125I-PIN binding sites. beta 2-binding sites are also present along the
ventral border of the IPN. Some of this labeling extends into the central
and intermediate subnuclei. Bilateral lesions of the LC, which selectively
remove noradrenergic innervation to the IPN, result in an increase in the
beta 1-binding sites. Bilateral lesions of the FR, which remove the major
cholinergic and peptidergic input from the IPN, elicit an increase in
noradrenergic projections and a decrease in beta 1-binding sites. beta
1-binding sites thus exhibit both up-regulation and down- regulation which
is correlated with the density of the noradrenergic projection. Our results
suggest, therefore, that the density of beta 1- binding sites is regulated
by noradrenergic input. beta 2-binding sites increase in density in
response to both the LC and FR lesions, suggesting that they are
postsynaptic to both of these afferents. The distribution suggests that
some of these binding sites may reflect binding to glial cells. The beta
2-binding sites may therefore be regulated by both noradrenergic and
non-noradrenergic mechanisms.