Neurotensin-like immunoreactivity in a subpopulation of noradrenaline-containing cells of the cat adrenal gland.

RIA of cat adrenal tissue extracts revealed a neurotensin-like immunoreactive material concentrated within the medulla of the gland (mean +/- SEM neurotensin concentration, 15.2 +/- 3.6 pmol/g whole gland; 47.9 +/- 18.4 pmol/g microdissected medulla). This immunoreactive material was found to elute in the region of synthetic neurotensin, thus indicating a similarity to the tridecapeptide originally isolated from bovine hypothalamus. Using immunocytochemical procedures at both light and ultrastructural levels, a neurotensin-like immunoreactive material was localized to a subpopulation of noradrenaline-containing cells quite distinct from the previously described enkephalin-immunoreactive chromaffin cells. Correlative ultrastructural observations have identified three morphologically distinct types of chromaffin cells in the medulla, indicating a marked heterogeneity within the noradrenaline cell population. The finding of neurotensin-like immunoreactivity in noradrenaline-containing cells of the cat adrenal medulla provides further evidence in support of the postulated existence of heterogeneous subpopulations of noradrenaline-containing cells and suggests a possible functional interrelationship between neurotensin and catecholamine.