Jcw. Mak et al., LOCALIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF BETA-ADRENOCEPTOR SUBTYPE MESSENGER-RNAS IN HUMAN LUNG, European journal of pharmacology, 302(1-3), 1996, pp. 215-221
The cellular localisation and distribution of mRNAs encoding beta-adre
noceptor subtypes in human lung were studied by in situ hybridisation
and Northern blot analysis. The 851-bp SmaI/PvuII fragment of human be
ta(1)-adrenoceptor cDNA, the 439-bp SmaI fragment of human beta(2)-adr
enoceptor cDNA and the 975-bp SmaI fragment of human beta(3)-adrenocep
tor cDNA bound to single mRNA species of approximately 3.2 kb, 2.2 kb
and 2.3 kb in size, respectively. Human lung and heart and rabbit lung
expressed both beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenoceptor mRNAs with no detect
able level of beta(3)-adrenoceptor mRNA, while rabbit perirenal adipos
e tissue expressed beta(1)-, beta(2)- and beta(3)-adrenoceptor mRNAs.
Cultured human airway epithelial cells and airway smooth muscle cells
expressed only beta(2)-adrenoceptor mRNA. In situ hybridisation in hum
an lung, using S-35-labelled antisense RNA probes revealed a high leve
l of expression of beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenoceptor mRNAs in the pulm
onary blood vessels, high level of expression of beta(2)-adrenoceptor
mRNA in the alveolar walls with less expression of beta(1)-adrenocepto
r mRNA. There was a moderate expression of beta(2)-adrenoceptor but no
t beta(1)-adrenoceptor mRNA in airway epithelium and smooth muscle of
peripheral airways and no delectable beta(3)-adrenoceptor mRNA in any
lung structures.