Summary
The classical areas for arginine-vasopressin (AVP) synthesis are the magnocellular supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei. More recently AVP was also demonstrated in neurons of the parvocellular suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the rat. This result was substantiated in the present study by means of immunoelectron microscopy, by subjecting sections to antivasopressin plasma. Conventional electron microscopy revealed dense-core vesicles in the SCN cell bodies and fibres (mean diameter 94.7±0.9 nm and 84.0±1.1 nm respectively). These vesicles were infrequent within the cell bodies and could not be accumulated by ethanol administration. Immunoelectron microscopy showed a positive reaction in the cell bodies and fibres within vesicles of 93.7±1.1 nm and 98.5±1.2 nm respectively. By comparison, the cell bodies and fibres of the SON showed immunoreactive granules of 143.0±1.8 and 147.3±1.8 nm respectively. The presence in the SCN of AVP in vesicles of different size than those in the SON suggests that synthesis of this substance is indeed occurring within the SCN cells.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Buijs, R.M.: Intra and extrahypothalamic vasopressin and oxytocin pathways in the rat. Pathways to the limbic system, medulla oblongata and spinal cord. Cell Tiss. Res., submitted
Buijs, R.M., Swaab, D.F., Dogterom, J., Leeuwen, F.W. Van: Intra and extrahypothalamic vasopressin and oxytocin pathways in the rat. Cell Tiss. Res. 186, 423–433 (1978)
Clattenburg, R.E., Singh, R.P., Montemurro, D.G.: Post-coital ultrastructural changes in neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the rabbit. Z. Zellforsch. 125, 448–459 (1972)
Clattenburg, R.E., Montemurro, D.G., Bruni, J.E.: Neurosecretory activity within suprachiasmatic neurons of the female rabbit following castration. Neuroendocrinology 17, 211–224 (1975)
Dube, D., Leclerc, R., Pelletier, G.: Electron microscopic immunohistochemical localization of vasopressin and neurophysin in the median eminence of normal and adrenalectomized rats. Amer. J. Anat. 147, 103–108 (1976)
George, J.M., Forrest, J.: Vasopressin and oxytocin content of microdissected hypothalamic areas in rats with hereditary diabetes insipidus. Neuroendocrinology 21, 275–279 (1976)
Hökfelt, T., Elde, R., Fuxe, K., Johansson, O., Ljungdahl, A., Goldstein, M., Luft, R., Efendic, S., Nilsson, G., Terenius, L., Ganten, D., Jeffcoate, S., Rehfeld, J., Said, S., Perez de la Mora, M., Possani, L., Tapia, R., Teran, L., Palacios, R.: Aminergic and peptidergic pathways in the nervous system with special reference to the hypothalamus. In: The hypothalamus, association for research in nervous and mental disease, Vol. 56 (S. Reichlin, R.J. Balderesini and J.B. Martin, eds.). New York: Raven Press 1978
Joussen, F.: Zur Morphologie des supraoptico-hypophysären Systems beim Kaninchen. Z. Zellforsch. 103, 544–558 (1970)
Krisch, B.: Electronmicroscopic immunocytochemical study on the vasopressin-containing neurons of the thirsting rat. Cell Tiss. Res. 184, 237–247 (1977)
Leeuwen, F.W. Van: Immunoelectron microscopic visualization of neurohypophyseal hormones: Evaluation of some tissue preparations and staining procedures. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 25, 1213–1221 (1977)
Leeuwen, F.W. Van, Swaab, D.F.: Specific immunoelectronmicroscopic localization of vasopressin and oxytocin in the neurohypophysis of the rat. Cell Tiss. Res. 177, 493–501 (1977)
Leeuwen, F.W. Van, Swaab, D.F., Romijn, H.J.: Light and electron microscopic immunolocalization of oxytocin and vasopressin in rat. In: Immunoenzymatic techniques, INSERM Symp. No. 2 (G. Feldmann, P. Druet, J. Bignon and S. Avrameas, eds.), pp. 345–353. Amsterdam-Oxford: North Holland Publishing Company 1976
Lobo Antunes, J., Carmel, P.W., Zimmerman, E.A.: Projections from the paraventricular nucleus to the zona externa of the median eminence of the rhesus monkey: an immunohistochemical study. Brain Res. 137, 1–10 (1977)
Makara, G.B., Harris, M.C., Spyer, K.M.: Identification and distribution of tuberoinfundibular neurons. Brain Res. 40, 283–290 (1972)
Mayor, H.D., Hampton, J.C., Rosario, B.: A simple method for removing the resin from expoxyembedded tissue. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol. 9, 909–910 (1961)
Midoux, C., Burlet, A., Boulangé, M., Legait, E.: Modifications du système hypothalamoneurohypophysaire du Rat après administration répétée d'éthanol. C.R. Soc. Biol. (Paris) 169, 151–154 (1975)
Moriarty, G.C.: Adenohypophysis. Ultrastructural cytochemistry. A review. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 21, 855–894 (1973)
Norström, A.: Axonal transport and turnover of neurohypophyseal proteins in rats. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 248, 46–63 (1975)
Reynolds, E.S.: The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electron-opaque stain in electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol. 17, 208–212 (1963)
Silverman, A.J., Zimmerman, E.A.: Ultrastructural immunocytochemical localization of neurophysin and vasopressin in the median eminence and posterior pituitary of the guinea pig. Cell Tiss. Res. 159, 291–301 (1975)
Suburo, A.M., Pellegrino de Iraldi, A.: An ultrastructural study of the rat's suprachiasmatic nucleus. J. Anat. (Lond.) 105, 439–446 (1969)
Swaab, D.F., Pool, C.W.: Specificity of oxytocin and vasopressin immunofluorescence. J. Endocr. 66, 263–272 (1975)
Swaab, D.F., Pool, C.W., Nijveldt, F.: Immunofluorescence of vasopressin and oxytocin in the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system. J. Neural. Transm. 36, 195–215 (1975)
Swaab, D.F., Pool, C.W., Leeuwen, F.W. Van: Can specificity ever be proved in immunocytochemical staining? J. Histochem. Cytochem. 25, 388–391 (1977)
Swanson, L.W., Cowan, W.M.: The efferent connections of the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. J. comp. Neurol. 160, 1–12 (1975)
Vandesande, F., Mey, J. De, Dierickx, K.: Identification of neurophysin producing cells. I. The origin of the neurophysin-like substance-containing nerve fibres of the external region of the median eminence of the rat. Cell Tiss. Res. 151, 187–200 (1974)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K., Mey, J. De: Identification of the vasopressin-neurophysin producing neurons of the rat suprachiasmatic nuclei. Cell Tiss. Res. 156, 377–380 (1975)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K., Mey, J. De: The origin of the vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic fibres of the external region of the median eminence of the rat hypophysis. Cell Tiss. Res. 180, 443–452 (1977)
Wenisch, H.J.C.: Kleinzellige Kerngebiete im vorderen Hypothalamus von Maus und Ratte. Thesis, Giessen, Germany (1975)
Wenisch, H J.C.: Retinohypothalamic projection in the mouse: electron microscopic and iontophoretic investigations of hypothalamic and optic centers. Cell Tiss. Res. 167, 547–561 (1976)
Wied, D. de, Wimersma Greidanus, Tj. B. Van, Bohus, B., Urban, I., Gispen, W.H.: Vasopressin and memory consolidation. In: Perspectives in brain research (M.A. Corner, D.F. Swaab, eds.). Progr. Brain Res. Vol. 45, pp. 181–194. Amsterdam: Elsevier 1976
Zambrano, D., De Robertis, E.: The secretory cycle of supraoptic neurons in the rat. A structural functional correlation. Z. Zellforsch. 73, 414–431 (1966)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by The Foundation for Medical Research FUNGO
The authors wish to thank Dr. L.A. Sternberger (Edgewood Arsenal, Md., U.S.A.) for the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase complex, Dr. J.G. Streefkerk (Free University, Amsterdam) and the members of our project group Neuroendocrinology for their suggestions, Mr. P.S. Wolters and Miss A. van der Veiden for their skilled assistance
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
van Leeuwen, F.W., Swaab, D.F. & de Raay, C. Immunoelectronmicroscopic localization of vasopressin in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus. Cell Tissue Res. 193, 1–10 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221596
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221596