Immunohistochemical markers in rat brain: colocalization of calretinin and calbindin-D28k with tyrosine hydroxylase.

Many dopaminergic cells of the substantia nigra are known to contain the calcium-binding proteins calretinin and calbindin-D28k. Catecholaminergic cell groups throughout the rat brain were therefore examined by two-colour immunofluorescence to determine whether they too contained these calcium-binding proteins as well as tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Some TH+ cell groups are mostly positive for both calretinin and calbindin, notably in the ventral tegmental area, the interfascicular nucleus, and parts of the substantia nigra. Other TH+ cell groups in the midbrain, hindbrain and hypothalamus are very diverse; different cell groups are positive for calretinin, or calbindin, or both, or neither. In the olfactory bulb, entirely separate sets of periglomerular cells are positive for TH, calretinin and calbindin. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in calcium-binding protein expression within most cell groups, even in the substantia nigra. This could be a sign that calcium-binding proteins are regulated according to aspects of neuronal activity.