Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry

Gu, J; Polak, J M; Allen, J M; Huang, W M; Sheppard, M N; Tatemoto, K; Bloom, S R

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6546942pmid: 6546942

A newly discovered bioactive peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY), has been found in the innervation of the mouse and rat heart by immunocytochemistry, NPY-immuno-reactive nerves were very dense around the nodal tissues. They also surrounded the coronary arteries and arterioles and were found in close association with the cardiac muscle. The distribution of NPY-containing nerves paralleled that of noradrenergic fibers, demonstrated by the use of antibodies to the catecholamine-converting enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine beta-hydroxylase. Furthermore, NPY was seen to be present in a proportion of intrinsic neurons mostly found in the atria and in close proximity to the nodal tissue. The concentrations of extractable NPY-immunoreactive material (about 150 pmol/g in whole mouse heart) by far surpasses those of the other peptides so far reported in the cardiac tissue. High performance liquid chromatography demonstrated the NPY immunoreactivity to elute in a single sharp peak, in an identical position to brain NPY.

Bignami, A; Dahl, D

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6371130pmid: 6371130

Antisera raised to desmin, the protein subunit of muscle-type intermediate filaments (IFs), were used to study by indirect immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase procedures the early development of skeletal muscle in the rat embryo. The specificity of the antisera (Dahl D, Bignami A: J Histochem Cytochem 30:207, 1982) was confirmed by immune blotting on chicken gizzard extracts and purified antigen. Desmin-positive cells were first observed on day 12 by immunofluorescence and on day 13 by the immunoperoxidase procedure. Desmin immunoreactivity was not found in caudal somites in which the dermatome was present, i.e., somites where the dorso-lateral part had maintained its definite boundaries and epithelioid characteristics. Desmin-positive cells were observed within the myotome of cranial somites where the dermatome had disappeared. Compared to day 13, desmin-positive cells had extended ventrally on day 14, while on day 15, they were found in the skeletal musculature of the trunk and the limbs.

Doine, A I; Oliver, C; Hand, A R

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6143779pmid: 6143779

Morphological and cytochemical changes in the Golgi apparatus and GERL of differentiating parotid acinar cells were examined in Sprague-Dawley rats from 5 days to young adult. At day 5, the Golgi apparatus consisted of 3-6 narrow saccules, with short segments of GERL lying adjacent to the trans Golgi saccule. As the glands matured, the Golgi apparatus increased in size and the saccules became broadened and fenestrated reaching a maximum from days 15-20. The saccules subsequently narrowed slightly and by day 25 resembled those seen in young adults. Numerous cisternae of GERL could be seen at the trans face during this period. While the glands were maturing, marked changes occurred in the distribution of thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase) activity in the Golgi saccules. In the immature cells, TPPase activity was restricted to 1 or 2 trans Golgi saccules. However, by day 10 TPPase could also be localized in immature secretory granules and in GERL-like cisternae. Unreactive segments of GERL were also present. This pattern of localization persisted until day 20, after which the TPPase activity in the GERL-like cisternae diminished gradually until by day 40 TPPase again was localized in 1-2 trans Golgi saccules and an occasional immature secretory granule. Acid phosphatase (AcPase) activity was localized primarily in lysosomes in the very young animals and increased in GERL with age up to day 15. From days 15 to 20 there was a decrease in the amount of activity seen in GERL, but from day 20 on, the AcPase activity increased until it reached that seen in young adult animals. These results indicate that the presence of TPPase activity in GERL-like cisternae and immature secretory granules may be dependent upon the developmental as well as the physiologic state of the acinar cells and lend further support to the suggestion that GERL is derived from the trans Golgi saccules.

Falcon, J; Geffard, M; Juillard, M T; Steinbusch, H W; Seguela, P; Collin, J P

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6371131pmid: 6371131

Using two immunocytochemical procedures (i.e., immunofluorescence and the unlabeled peroxidase-antiperoxidase method), the localization of a serotonin(HT)-like and of a N-acetylserotonin (aHT)-like immunoreactivity in the pineal organ of the pike was studied during winter. It was shown that immunostaining was exclusively restricted to the cells of the receptor line (CRL = typical and modified photoreceptors). The intensity of the reactions varied through the light-dark cycle, HT-like immunoreactivity being high during the photophase and low during the scotophase. In contrast, aHT-like immunoreactivity was highest at the beginning of the scotophase. HT and aHT-like immunoreactivities were detected in all cell types of the pineal epithelium after administration of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Up to now, only HT immunoreactivity could be localized at the ultrastructural level. In a number of typical and modified photoreceptors, a HT-positive staining seemed to be confined within the hyaloplasm of the inner segment, particularly with that of the perikaryon and basal pedicle. Our previous and present results strongly suggest that indole compounds, which are involved in the regulation of various neuroendocrine processes in fish, are synthetized within the CRL. Taking into account that the CRL of the pike are also photosensitive, it appears more and more likely that they are photoneuroendocrine cells involved in mediating the effects of the photoperiod on various physiological and behavioral processes.

Bergqvist, A; Carlström, K; Ljungberg, O

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6715869pmid: 6715869

A histochemical method for the detection of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors in human endometrium, using estrogen and progesterone derivatives linked to fluorochrome-labeled bovine serum albumin (E2-BSA-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and progesterone-BSA-tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TMRITC], has been evaluated. The fluorochrome-labeled steroids were bound to the cytoplasm--preferably in glandular epithelial cells but to a lesser extent also to stromal cells. The steroid specificity of the observed binding was studied by preincubating the sections with a series of unlabled steroids and nonsteroidal, hormonally active compounds (estradiol-17 beta, diethylstilbestrol, tamoxifen, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone and R 1881 for ER and ORG 2058, R 5020, dexamethasone, cortisol and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone for PR). The inhibition studies indicated that E2-BSA-FITC and progesterone-BSA-TMRITC bind to ER and PR in human endometrium with a reasonable degree of specificity. The method was reproducible and various procedural steps were tested, showing satisfactory technical stability. The method is applicable to small tissue samples, and is a valuable complement to quantitative biochemical receptor assays, as it localizes the receptors in tissue slices.

Shindo, N; Kobayashi, E; Okada, M

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6425396pmid: 6425396

Immunofluorescent microscopy (IF) has become an essential tool in the routine diagnosis of renal pathology. It is thought that glomerular IF patterns represent different forms of immunologically mediated glomerular lesions. However, in order to preserve antigenicity IF is usually done on frozen, unfixed specimen by light microscopy and it is difficult to locate target macromolecules in tissue with precision. In order to establish the precise location of such macromolecules in glomeruli in relation to the ultrastructure, we undertook an immunoelectron microscopic (IEM) study on renal biopsies. Percutaneously biopsied tiny specimen was fixed in glutaraldehyde and processed with protease. Using peroxidase-labeled antisera, a direct IEM was done. With this technique, target macromolecules corresponded well not only to electron-dense deposits but also to IF patterns. In one case of membranous nephropathy, immunoglobulin (Ig) was found to be outside of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), while IgA was seen to be inside the GBM. For this same case, a similar localization of immunoglobulins was not revealed by IF. In conclusion, IEM is a useful technique that can broaden our knowledge of pathogenic mechanisms in glomerular disease.

Sjögren, S

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6201528pmid: 6201528

Developing rat oral mucosa contains high activities of acid (AcidPase), neutral (adenosine monophosphatase AMPase), and alkaline (AlkPase) phosphatases. This study is concerned with a detailed analysis of the distribution of these enzymes in freeze-dried sections of oral mucosa. The sections were incubated for AcidPase. AMPase, and AlkPase in the presence of certain inhibiting agents. Four AcidPases, three AMPases, and two AlkPases were identified in the oral mucosa. Six of them were found in the epithelium and three in the connective tissue. Three of the epithelial phosphatases were unique in the sense that they were found only in junction mucosa epithelium. The function of these enzymes may be related to the maintenance of the epithelial cell attachment in an area subjected to stretching, possibly by affecting the periphery of the cells.

Cunningham, V L; Wolken, K W; Ackerman, G A

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6371132pmid: 6371132

Surface labeling and internalization of insulin was demonstrated ultrastructurally with human peripheral lymphocytes and with "activated"/transformed lymphocytes from mitogen-treated cultures using the colloidal gold-labeled insulin-bovine serum albumin (GIA) procedure. The majority of peripheral lymphocytes bound only limited amounts of the insulin complex, while approximately 15% of the lymphocyte population bound modest to comparatively large quantities of the labeled hormone. Quantitative labeling data indicated a skewed GIA labeling continuum for peripheral lymphocytes rather than separate, distinct populations. Sequential labeling studies with the GIA complex followed by either the ferritin-conjugated goat anti-human immunoglobulin or the E-rosette techniques indicated that insulin labeling was neither T nor B cell specific, since extremes of GIA labeling were found in both populations. Many, but not all, circulating lymphocytes with elevated insulin binding had morphological features suggestive of "active" cells, viz., larger cell, nuclear, nucleolar, and Golgi sizes, dispersed chromatin, and greater numbers of polysomes than lymphocytes having minimal GIA labeling. Both phytohemagglutinin (PHA), a T-cell mitogen, and pokeweed mitogen (PWM), a B/T cell mitogen, induced an increase in mean GIA labeling of cultured lymphoid cells as compared to non-mitogen-treated controls. The majority of mitogen-transformed "blast-like" cells had more extensive insulin labeling than nontransformed small (medium)-size lymphocytes, although an overlap in labeling densities was noted in these two groups. PHA induced a slight increase in mean surface GIA labeling of the nontransformed lymphocyte population at 48 and 72 hr of culture as compared to similar cells in non-mitogen-treated controls and PWM cultures. We interpret these findings as indicating the emergence of increased numbers of insulin binding sites on lymphocytes, both those in the circulation and in mitogen-treated cultures, during the early response (activation) to functional and/or metabolic modulations of the cell; this surface change does not appear to be directly related to blastogenic transformation.

Berruti, G; Martegani, E

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6371133pmid: 6371133

The localization of acrosin (EC 3.4.21.10) activity in mammalian spermatozoa was investigated by use of the fluorescent site-directed acrosin inhibitor, dansylalanyllysylchloromethyl ketone (DALCK). Fluorescence microscope preparations revealed, after the spermatozoa were subjected to a specific treatment, that acrosin activity is confined specifically to the inner acrosomal membrane (IAM). Spectrofluorometric and fluorescence polarization investigations verified that the fluorescent probe, once it is specifically bound to the treated spermatozoa, lies in a very hydrophobic environment and shows a remarkable reduction of rotational freedom. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that, under the experimental conditions used, active acrosin is tightly bound to the IAM and that the "specificity site" of the acrosin-active center is probably of a highly hydrophobic nature.

Edwards, P A; Brooks, I M

doi: 10.1177/32.5.6371134pmid: 6371134

Three monoclonal antibodies raised to the human milk fat globule membrane bind, within the normal breast, to the surface of the luminal epithelial cells but not to the surrounding myoepithelial, connective tissue, or blood vessel cells. These antibodies distinguish three subsets of the epithelial cells that are not distinguishable by conventional histology. To show the arrangement of the cells in two dimensions over the sheet of epithelium, ducts were dissected out of normal breast tissue, opened up and laid flat as sheets of epithelium. The apical faces of the cells were strained, unfixed, using two-color immunofluorescence to contrast the subsets of cells stained by the different antibodies. The epithelium was then seen to be a mosaic of cells that express different surface antigens. The grouping and appearance of the cells stained by the different antibodies was characteristic. This may be just a random heterogeneity of antigen expression but alternatively the different cells may be in different physiological states. Regardless of its biological significance, the observation has practical consequences for the use of such antibodies in identifying cells and the study of antigenic heterogeneity in tumors.