Two patterns of dopa decarboxylase immunoreactivity in sympathetic axons supplying rat renal cortex

Three ultrastructural cytochemical methods have been used to classify the innervation of the rat renal cortex. Every axon seen contained chromaffin-reactive, dense core vesicles and stained for tyrosine hydroxylase, indicating that they were all catecholaminergic. About 10% of the axons associated with smooth muscle and juxtaglomerular cells of the arteriolar vessels also contained dopa decarboxylase, but this enzyme was not present in any of the peritubular axons. Our results are compatible with the possibility that, in the rat, the juxtaglomerular blood vessels, but not the renal tubules, are supplied by dopaminergic as well as by noradrenergic nerves.