Lp. Schramm et al., PERIPHERAL AND CENTRAL PATHWAYS REGULATING THE KIDNEY - A STUDY USINGPSEUDORABIES VIRUS, Brain research, 616(1-2), 1993, pp. 251-262
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.