Summary
Antisera, with cross reactive antibodies removed by affinity chromatography, were used in the immunoperoxidase-bridge technique to study the distribution of oxytocin and vasopressin together with neurophysin in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system of the rat. The hormones were demonstrated in different areas of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN), in neurosecretory fibres of the hypothalamoneurohypophysial tract, median eminence, and in nerve terminals of the neurohypophysis. Intact normal and rats with hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus (Brattleboro strain), and rats dehydrated by the administration of oral hypertonic saline were studied. In dehydrated rats the hormone concentration in the neurons, and the number of neurons containing hormone varied according to the time of dehydration stress.
The observations support the hypotheses that: 1) oxytocin and oxytocinneurophysin, and vasopressin and vasopressin-neurophysin are synthesised in different neurons and are transported along different axons; 2) the SON and PVN are functionally indistinguishable in that neurons containing oxytocin or vasopressin are present in both nuclei; and 3) the two types of neurons respond to osmotic stimulation in a way that is qualitatively the same but quantitatively different.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bisset, G.W., Clark, B.J., Haldar, J.: Blood levels of oxytocin and vasopressin during suckling in the rabbit and the problem of their independent release. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 206, 711–722 (1970)
Burford, G.D., Dyball, R.E.J., Moss, R.L., Pickering, B.T.: Synthesis of both neurohypophysial hormones in both the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the rat. J. Anat. (Lond.) 117, 261–269 (1974)
Burford, G.D., Jones, C.W., Pickering, B.T.: Tentative identification of a vasopressin-neurophysin and an oxytocin-neurophysin in the rat. Biochem J. 124, 809–813 (1971)
Dierickx, K., Vandesande, F., De Mey, J.: Identification, in the external region of the rat median eminence, of separate neurophysin-vasopressin and neurophysin-oxytocin containing nerve fibres. Cell Tiss. Res. 168, 141–151 (1976)
Dyball, R.E.J., Brimble, M.J.: Differential responses of oxytocin and vasopressin neurones to osmotic stimulation. In: Abstracts V. Int. Cong. of Endocr., No. 484 Hamburg, 1976
Dyball, R.E.J., Wright, R.J.: Decreased vasopressin/oxytocin ratio with increased hormone release from rat neural lobes in vitro. In: Proc. 6th British/Dutch Endo. Meeting, p. 8 1976
George, J.M.: Vasopressin and oxytocin are depleted from rat hypothalamic nuclei after oral hypertonic saline. Science 193, 146–148 (1976)
George, J.M., Jacobowitz, D.M.: Localization of vasopressin in discrete areas of the rat hypothalamus. Brain Res. 93, 363–366 (1975)
George, J.M., Staples, S., Marks, B.M.: Oxytocin content of microdissected areas of rat hypothalamus. Endocrinology 98, 1430–1433 (1976)
Ginsburg, M., Smith, M.W.: The fate of oxytocin in male and female rats. Brit. J. Pharmacol. 14, 327–333 (1959)
Graham, R.C., Karnovsky, M.J.: The early stages of absorption of injected horseradish peroxidase in the proximal tubules of mouse kidney; ultrastructural cytochemistry by a new technique. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 14, 291–302 (1966)
Guzek, J., Orlowska-Majdak, M., Wdzieczak, J.: The vasopressin and oxytocin content in the hypothalamus and neurohypophysis as influenced by reserpine treatment during long-term dehydration in the white rat. Endokrinologie 67, 36–50 (1976)
Haldar, J.: Independent release of oxytocin and vasopressin during parturition in the rabbit. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 206, 723–730 (1970)
Jones, C.W., Pickering, B.T.: Comparison of the effects of water deprivation and sodium chloride inhibition on the hormone content of the neurohypophysis of the rat. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 203, 448–458 (1969)
Kalimo, H., Rinne, U.K.: Ultrastructural studies on the hypothalamic neurosecretory neurons of the rat. II. The hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system in rats with hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus. Z. Zellforsch. 134, 205–225 (1972)
Knaggs, G.S., Tindall, J.S., Turvey, A.: Paraventricular-hypophysial neurosecretory pathways in the guinea pig. J. Endocr. 50, 153–162 (1971)
Lederis, K.: The distribution of vasopressin and oxytocin in hypothalamic nuclei. In: Neurosecretion, pp. 229–239 (H. Heller and R.B. Clark, eds.). New York: Academic Press 1962
Mailat, F., Miscalencu, D.: Evolution of supraoptical and paraventricular nuclei (SON and PVN) in white rats under the influence of large, constant thiamin doses. J. Hirnforsch. 14, 233–236 (1973)
Mason, T.E., Phifer, R.F., Spicer, S.S., Swallow, R.A., Dreskin, R.B.: An immunoglobulin-enzyme bridge method for localizing tissue antigens. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 17, 563–569 (1969)
Olivecrona, H.: Paraventricular nucleus and pituitary gland. Acta physiol. scand. 40, Suppl. 136, 1–178 (1957)
Petrusz, P., DiMeo, P., Ordronneau, P., Weaver, C., Keefer, D.A.: Improved immunoglobulin-enzyme bridge method for light microscopic demonstration of hormone-containing cells of the rat adenohypophysis. Histochemie 46, 6–26 (1975)
Skowsky, W.R., Fisher, D.A.: The use of thyroglobulin to induce antigenicity to small molecule. J. Lab. clin. Med. 80, 134–144 (1972)
Sokol, H.W., Zimmerman, E.A., Sawyer, W.H., Robinson, A.G.: The hypothalamic-neurohypophysial system of the rat: localization and quantitation of neurophysin by light microscopic immunocytochemistry in normal rats and in Brattleboro rats deficient in vasopressin and a neurophysin. Endocrinology 98, 1176–1188 (1976)
Sternberger, L.A., Hardy, P.H., Cuculis, J.J., Meyer, H.G.: The unlabeled antibody enzyme method of immunohistochemistry. Preparation and properties of soluble antigen-antibody complex (horseradish peroxidase-antihorseradish peroxidase) and its use in identification of spirochetes. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 18, 315–333 (1970)
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-neurohypophysial system. J. Neural Transmission 36, 195–215 (1975)
Valtin, H., Sokol, H.W., Sunde, D.: Genetic approaches to the study of the secretion and actions of vasopressin. Rec. Progr. Hormone Res. 31, 447–486 (1975)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K.: Identification of the vasopressin producing and of the oxytocin producing neurons in the hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory system of the rat. Cell Tiss. Res. 164, 153–162 (1975)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K.: Immuno-cytochemical demonstration of the inability of the homozygous Brattleboro rat to synthesize vasopressin and vasopressin-associated neurophysin. Cell Tiss. Res. 165, 307–316 (1976)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K., De Mey, J.: Identification of the vasopressin-neurophysin II and the oxytocin I producing neurons in the bovine hypothalamus. Cell Tiss. Res. 156, 189–200 (1975)
Watkins, W.B.: Presence of neurophysin and vasopressin in the hypothalamic magnocellular nuclei of rats homozygous and heterozygous for diabetes insipidus (Brattleboro strain) as revealed by immunoperoxidase histology. Cell Tiss. Res. 157, 101–113 (1975)
Watkins, W.B., Schwabedal, P., Bock, R.: Immunohistochemical demonstration of a CRF-associated neurophysin in the external zone of the rat median eminence. Cell Tiss. Res. 152, 411–421 (1974)
Weir, E.E., Pretlow, T.G., Pitts, A., Williams, E.E.: A more sensitive and specific histochemical peroxidase stain for the localization of cellular antigen by the enzyme antibody conjugate method. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 22, 1135–1140 (1974)
Zimmerman, E.A., Defendini, R., Sokol, H.W., Robinson, A.G.: The distribution of neurophysinsecreting pathways in the mammalian brain: light microscopic studies using the immunoperoxidase technique. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 248, 92–111 (1975)
Zimmerman, E.A., Hsu, K.C., Robinson, A.G., Carmel, P.W., Frantz, A.G., Tannenbaum, M.: Studies on neurophysin secreting neurons with immunoperoxidase techniques employing antibody to bovine neurophysin. I. Light microscopic findings in monkey and bovine tissues. Endocrinology 92, 931–940 (1973)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of New Zealand
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Choy, V.J., Watkins, W.B. Immunocytochemical study of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. Cell Tissue Res. 180, 467–490 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220169
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220169