IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF RAT ANGIOTENSIN-II AT1 RECEPTOR

To study receptors for angiotensin II, polyclonal rabbit anti-peptide antisera were prepared against the peptide QDDCPKAGRHC corresponding to amino acids 15-24 of the rat AT1A and AT1B receptors. Western analysis of rat tissues showed a major band of approximately 43 kDa. The antisera immunoprecipitated AT1-receptor protein produced in vitro. Immunohistochemical analysis of rat tissues showed intense staining of arterial and arteriolar smooth muscle. Other tissues that contained AT1-receptor protein included hepatocytes, the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal gland, and the smooth muscle of the bronchus, gut, ureter, and epididymis. In the kidney, intense staining was observed in all small arteries and arterioles. Both afferent and efferent arterioles contain approximately equal intensities of immunoreactive AT1 protein. The inner stripe of the outer medulla has a moderate level of receptors within thick ascending limb epithelium. Proximal tubular epithelium also expresses receptor protein. Glomerular immunoreactive AT1 protein is found within mesangial cells and varies in intensity among different rat strains. Lewis and Wistar rats demonstrated moderate glomerular staining, whereas the CD and Sprague-Dawley strains showed lesser levels of reactivity. The fact that glomerular mesangial cells contain AT1 protein supports the concept that mesangial cells are the primary locus of angiotensin II action within the glomerulus.