Localization of angiotensin II receptor subtypes in the rabbit heart.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is an essential component of the renin-angiotensin system and is partially responsible for the maintenance of hypertension. Two major receptor subtypes have been defined for Ang II and have been detected in the heart of various species. Most of the known functions of Ang II are mediated via the AT1 subtype, whereas the function of the AT2 receptor remains ill defined. In this study we aimed to localize both receptor subtypes in the rabbit heart using film and light microscope autoradiography as well as radioligand binding assays on membranes. Total receptor densities in the atrium and nervous tissue were respectively four and nine times greater than in the ventricle. Conductive tissue shows a density between that of atrial and nervous tissue. In the ventricle, approximately 20% of the Ang II receptors were AT2. This receptor subtype was almost totally absent from nervous, conductive and atrial tissue. The limited resolution of the microscope autoradiography method did not allow us to specify the exact cell-type at this stage.