Localization of Renin-Like Immunoreactivity in Marmoset Brain

Abstract

A monoclonal antibody against human renin was shown to recognize, by immunoblot, a 39kDa protein (possibly renin) in crude homogenates of several marmoset brain regions, and used to investigate the distribution of renin-like molecules in the brain by using light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry. Cells with renin-like immunoreactivity were detected not only in hypothalamic nuclei and the parabrachial nuclei relevant to the control of blood pressure and water-electrolyte balance but also in other brain regions including the basal ganglia, basal magnocellular nucleus of Meynert, hippocampus, thalamus, midbrain, certain cranial nerve nuclei, raphe nuclei and the cerebellum. Preembedding electron microscopy demonstrated that renin-like Immunoreactivity was mainly present in neuronal perikarya and proximal dendrites and rarely in axon terminals and neuroglial components. The widespread and uneven localization of renin in marmoset brain may provide a morphological basis for certain central effects of renin and angiotensins injected into the cerebral ventricles. It is unlikely that brain renin is actively conveyed from neuronal soma to nerve endings. (Hypertens Res 1993; 16: 121-130)