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(Pro)renin receptor [(P)RR], a specific receptor for renin and prorenin, is a 350 amino acid protein with a single transmembrane domain. In the present study, the expression of (P)RR in the human brain and pituitary, and its co-localisation with arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in the human hypothalamus were studied by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemistry. Human brain and pituitary tissues were obtained at autopsy from the subjects without neurological or endocrinological disorders. The antiserum against (P)RR was raised in a rabbit by injecting the peptide fragment of human (P)RR corresponding to 224-237 amino acids conjugated with bovine serum albumin. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that (P)RR mRNA was widely expressed in every region of brain examined and pituitary, with the highest expression levels found in the pituitary and frontal lobe. Immunocytochemistry showed that (P)RR was expressed in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of human hypothalami, and in anterior pituitary cells. Immunostaining of serial sections showed that (P)RR was co-localised with arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in the magnocellular neurones of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. The preabsorption of the antibody by the antigen peptide abolished the immunostaining of (P)RR in the human hypothalamus. The present study has shown that (P)RR mRNA is widely expressed in the human brain and pituitary, consistent with the hypothesis that (P)RR is related to the various brain functions, such as cognitive function and brain development. Co-localisation of (P)RR with vasopressin in the hypothalamus raised the possibility that (P)RR may be related to the central control of water-electrolyte metabolism and blood pressure.

Polythiophene films were synthesized by electrolytic polymerization, and the synthetic parameters and their thermoelectric properties, i.e., Seebeck coefficient and electric conductivity, were investigated in detail. The Seebeck coefficient tended to decrease with increasing electric conductivity. However, the thermoelectric power factor increased with electric conductivity, and was 1:03 Â 10 À5 WÁm À1 ÁK À2 at 23 mVÁK À1 and at 201 SÁcm À1 . This value is large compared with those of other conductive polymers, and the figure of merit reached to one thirty against Bi-Te system. In addition, the elaborated surface morphology and internal structure, i.e., crystallinity, of the films were also evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis, and the relationship between thermoelectric properties and structure was discussed.

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