PERIPHERAL AND CENTRAL PATHWAYS REGULATING THE KIDNEY - A STUDY USINGPSEUDORABIES VIRUS

We used the retrograde transneuronal transport of a neurotropic virus, pseudorabies virus (PRV), to identify the neurons in sympathetic gang lia, spinal cord and brain which regulate renal function and renal cir culation. PRV was microinjected into the left kidney of 70, pentobarbi tal-anesthetized, male rats. After an incubation period of 1-4 days, r ats were anesthetized and sacrificed. PRV-infected neurons were locate d immunocytochemically in pre- and paravertebral sympathetic ganglia, the intermediolateral cell column of the T10-T13 segments and several brainstem cell groups: the medullary raphe nuclei, rostral ventrolater al medulla, rostral ventromedial medulla, A5 cell group, and the parav entricular hypothalamic nucleus. In more heavily infected rats, additi onal labeling was found in the locus coeruleus, periadqueductal gray m atter, lateral hypothalamic area, zona incerta, and anterior hypothala mic area. No infected propriospinal neurons were observed in the later al spinal nucleus or gray matter of the caudal cervical, lumbosacral o r thoracic spinal segments not containing infected putative sympatheti c preganglionic neurons. The paucity of infected propriospinal neurons in the presence of infected brainstem neurons, even in lightly infect ed rats. is discussed in reference to the relative importance of desce nding vs spinal regulation of the sympathetic outflow to the kidney.