Three isoforms (␣1, ␣2, and ␣3) of the catalytic (␣) subunit of the plasma membrane (PM) Na ؉ pump have been identified in the tissues of birds and mammals. These isoforms differ in their affinities for ions and for the Na ؉ pump inhibitor, ouabain. In the rat, ␣1 has an unusually low affinity for ouabain. The PM of most rat cells contains both low (␣1) and high (␣2 or ␣3) ouabain affinity isoforms, but precise localization of specific isoforms, and their functional significance, are unknown. We employed high resolution immunocytochemical techniques to localize ␣ subunit isoforms in primary cultured rat astrocytes, neurons, and arterial myocytes. Isoform ␣1 was ubiquitously distributed over the surfaces of these cells. In contrast, high ouabain affinity isoforms (␣2 in astrocytes, ␣3 in neurons and myocytes) were confined to a reticular distribution within the PM that paralleled underlying endoplasmic or sarcoplasmic reticulum. This distribution is identical to that of the PM Na͞Ca exchanger. This raises the possibility that ␣1 may regulate bulk cytosolic Na ؉ , whereas ␣2 and ␣3 may regulate Na ؉ and, indirectly, Ca 2؉ in a restricted cytosolic space between the PM and reticulum. The high ouabain affinity Na ؉ pumps may thereby modulate reticulum Ca 2؉ content and Ca 2؉ signaling.