Dopamine D2 receptors are restricted to the prolactin cells in the rabbit pituitary gland: a combined autoradiographic and immunocytochemical study.

The distribution of dopamine D2 receptors was studied using the autoradiographic technique on rabbit pituitary gland sections incubated in the presence of [3H]spiroperidol. D2 receptors were absent from the intermediate lobe as already reported. In the anterior lobe, the location of D2 receptors exactly overlapped that of the prolactin-producing cells revealed by immunocytochemistry on the sections used for autoradiography. No topographical relationships could be found between the D2 receptors and the TSH-producing cells which are known to be inhibited by dopamine in the rat.