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Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, Vol. 45, 663-674, Copyright © 1997 by The Histochemical Society, Inc.

ARTICLE

Distribution of Casein-like Proteins in Various Organs of Rat

Makoto Onodaa and Hiroshi Inanoa
a National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan

Correspondence to: Makoto Onoda, The First Research Group, Natl. Inst. of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 263, Japan.

Casein-like proteins were detected in various organs of rat by use of a specific antiserum raised against rat milk caseins. The antiserum specifically recognized {alpha}1-, {alpha}2-, ß-, and {gamma}-caseins in rat milk by Western blot analysis, whereas no immunoreactive band was observed in sera of rat and fetal bovine and in bovine caseins. Immunohistochemical studies of this antiserum on formalin-fixed mammary glands showed that immunoreactive caseins were localized to the apical portion of the cytoplasm in lactating mammary epithelial cells and in the luminal secretion, which indicates a directional secretion of caseins to the lumen by the mammary epithelial cells. With this antiserum, immunoreactive substances were detected in various organs, including the pancreatic ducts and islets of Langerhans, the secretory ducts of salivary glands, zona fasciculata cells and ganglion cells of adrenal gland, distal tubules and convoluted collecting tubules of kidney, epithelial cells of bronchioles and large pneumocytes of the lung, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and the prickle cell layer of skin, uterine glands and epithelium of the endometrium, hepatic bile ducts, and brain. In Western blot analysis, major immunoreactive substances in the above organ extracts showed a similarity in molecular weight to {alpha}2-casein of rat milk. Skin was the only tissue that expressed both {alpha}2- and ß-caseins. There were no other immunoreactive bands with similarity to ß- and {gamma}-caseins in the other organ extracts, but higher molecular weight immunoreactive bands (> 100 kD) were detected in some organ extracts, such as salivary gland, kidney, liver, lung, and uterus. These findings suggest that the {alpha}2-casein-like substance is localized not only in the mammary gland but also in a variety of organs and may play an important role as a functional molecule in those organs. (J Histochem Cytochem 45:663-674, 1997)

Key Words: casein, antibody, immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, mammary gland, organ, rat


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M. Onoda and H. Inano
Localization of Nitric Oxide Synthases and Nitric Oxide Production in the Rat Mammary Gland
J. Histochem. Cytochem., November 1, 1998; 46(11): 1269 - 1278.
[Abstract] [Full Text]



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