Endothelin in perivascular nerves. An electron-immunocytochemical study of rat basilar artery.
The endothelium is recognized as a major source of endothelin in the vasculature. In this report we show for the first time that endothelin can be demonstrated with immunoelectronmicroscopy in perivascular nerves. About 36% of the axon profiles (varicosity/intervaricosity) examined in the rat basilar artery showed immunolabelling with a polyclonal antibody to endothelin-1. Endothelin-labelled axon varicosities were characterized by the presence of small spherical agranular vesicles (42 +/- 1 nm); some varicosities also contained large granular vesicles (92 +/- 5 nm) with labelled cores. Immunolabelling was mostly distributed in the axoplasm and in association with the membrane of synaptic vesicles (the lumen of the small agranular vesicles was immuno-negative). The presence of endothelin in perivascular nerves of the basilar artery suggests a neuronal as well as endothelial role in the physiological control of the vessel wall.
Loesch
A
A
Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology and Centre for Neuroscience, University College London, UK.
Milner
P
P
Burnstock
G
G
D000818:Animals; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000294:innervation; D016232:Endothelins / Q000032:analysis*; D005724:Ganglia / Q000737:chemistry*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D016232:Endothelins