ONTOGENY OF VASOACTIVE-INTESTINAL-PEPTIDE RECEPTORS IN RAT VENTRAL PROSTATE

1. The stimulatory effect of VIP on rat prostatic adenylyl cyclase cha nges during postnatal development. It peaks at 2 months (peripubertal period), remains in a plateau between 3 and 12 months (adult period), and decreases at 24 months (old period). 2. The stimulation of rat pro static adenylylcyclase by the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol fo llows a pattern rather similar to that of VIP. 3. The values of VIP bi nding capacity correlate well with those observed for adenylyl cyclase between 1 and 12 months, whereas there appears to exist a great numbe r of uncoupled VIP receptors at 0.5 and 24 months. 4. The apparent mol ecular mass (51 kDa) of the rat prostatic VIP-receptor complex remains unaltered during ontogenic development.