We have compared the levels of angiotensin II (AII) type 2 (AT2) receptors in neuronal cultures from 1-day-old Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rat hypothalamus and brainstem. These studies were performed to determine if the increase in total AII receptors observed in SH neurons in previous studies includes the AT2 receptor subtype. Specific binding of the AT2 receptor selective ligand [125I]CGP42112 to WKY and SH rat neuronal cultures was time dependent and saturable in each case. Kd (approximately 0.35 nM) and Bmax (approximately 95 fmol/mg protein) values for [125I]CGP42112 specific binding did not significantly differ between WKY and SH rat cultures. In addition, AT2 receptor-mediated reductions in cellular cGMP exhibited no significant differences in WKY and SH rat neuronal cultures. We conclude that the greater levels of AII receptors found in SH rat hypothalamus/brainstem neuronal cultures, compared with WKY rat neurons from these areas, do not include the AT2 receptor subtype.