The pharmacological profile and the anatomical localisation of dopamine receptor subtypes were investigated in the rabbit pulmonary vascular bed using combined radioligand binding and light microscope autoradiography techniques. Dopamine D1-like receptor sites, which probably belong to the dopamine D1 receptor subtype, were characterized in sections of lung using [3H]-SCH 23390 as a ligand. These sites were located within the tunica intima and the tunica media of large sized intrapulmonary artery branches and in the tunica media of medium sized intrapulmonary artery branches. Dopamine D2-like receptor sites, which probably belong to the dopamine D2 receptor subtype, were characterized using [3H]-spiroperidol as a ligand. These sites were located within the tunica adventitia of both extra- and intrapulmonary artery branches. Dopamine D2-like receptor sites were also found in the tunica adventitia of the human pulmonary artery, but not of the rat pulmonary artery. The different anatomical localization of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor subtypes in the pulmonary vasculature suggests that these sites are involved in the modulation of pulmonary vascular tone by interacting with different receptors unevenly distributed throughout the pulmonary vascular bed.