Quantitative localization of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, phenolethanolamine-N-methyl transferase, and glutamic acid decarboxylase in spinal cord.

Sensitive radiometric assays for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase (PNMT), and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) have been combined with microdissection techniques for quantitative localization of these synthetic enzymes in rabbit spinal cord. TH was present uniformly in gray and white matter. DBH was higher in the lateral horns than in the other gray matter areas, and was not detectable in white matter. PNMT was detectable in gray but not white matter, and was considerably lower in activity than the other catecholamine synthetic enzymes. GAD was higher in the dorsal horns at the cervical and lumbar levels than in other gray matter areas and relatively low in white matter. GAD activity was considerably higher than the catecholamine synthetic enzyme activities. The quantitative localizations are consistent with the qualitative immunohistochemical enzymes maps and distributions of the related putative neurotransmitters.