Tachykinin multiplicity in rat central nervous system as studied using antisera raised against substance P and neurokinin A.

Antisera were raised in rabbits against the tachykinins neurokinin A (NKA) and substance P (SP). All NKA-antisera tested cross-reacted markedly with NKB, kassinin and eledoisin in radioimmunoassay (RIA), but virtually not with SP and physalaemin. Also when used for immunohistochemistry, one of the NKA-antisera was found to be virtually without cross-reactivity with SP. The most specific SP-antiserum did not cross-react with NKA but to some extent with NKB at the immunohistochemical level. Using these two antisera, the same distribution pattern of immunoreactivity was seen in both the rat substantia nigra and dorsal spinal cord. In neutral extracts of the substantia nigra, all NKA-antisera used for RIA detected a major component which eluted at the position of NKA in reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography, while no or only little immunoreactivity was detected at the position of NKB. A major component of substance P-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) co-eluting with SP and one or two minor SPLI-components were also detected in these extracts. An SP-antiserum, which cross-reacted markedly with physalaemin, detected an additional rather prominent component. In neutral water extracts of dorsal spinal cord the component detected with the NKA-antisera at the position of NKB, as well as one of the SPLI-components not eluting in the position of SP, were much more prominent than in the corresponding extracts of substantia nigra. In acetic acid extracts of both tissues, only one major SPLI-component co-eluting with SP could be detected, while only very small amounts of immunoreactivity eluting at the position of NKA and NKB (dorsal spinal cord only) could be detected using the NKA-antisera. The present results illustrate the importance of the extraction method used in immunochemical studies and demonstrate that the relative proportions of various tachykinins are markedly different in the rat substantia nigra and dorsal spinal cord.