Localization of NADPH-diaphorase activity in the salt gland of the saltwater-acclimated Pekin duck

The pharmacological properties and the anatomical localisation of dopamine D₃ receptor were assessed in the rat cerebellar cortex using radioligand binding techniques associated with light microscope autoradiography and 7-³H]hydroxy-N,N-di-n-propyl-2-aminotetralin (7-³H]OH-DPAT) as a ligand. 7-³H]OH-DPAT was specifically bound to sections of rat cerebellar cortex with a dissociation constant (K_d) of 0.5 nM and a maximum density of binding sites (B_max) of 97 ± 4 fmol/mg tissue. The rank order of potency of competitors of 7-³H]OH-DPAT binding and the observation that guanosine triphosphate did not affect radioligand binding suggest the labelling of a dopamine D₃ receptor. 7-³H]OH-DPAT binding sites are located mainly in the molecular layer and in lesser amounts in the Purkinje neuron layer, primarily within the cell body of Purkinje neurons. No specific accumulation of silver grains was observed in the granule neuron layer or in the white matter of the cerebellar cortex. The localisation of a putative dopamine D₃ receptor within Purkinje neurons suggests that this site may have functional relevance in the cerebellar cortex.