Immune response of rabbits to native G-actins

Role of actin in the organisation of brain postsynaptic densities

Brain synaptic junctions are marked by a prominent dense-staining structure, the postsynaptic density (PSD), embedded in the postsynaptic membrane. Isolated PSDs contain a complex mixture of proteins among which the most abundant are the alpha subunit of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMK II alpha) the membrane cytoskeletal proteins actin and spectrin and receptors for both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. We have investigated the relationship of these proteins to the junctional structure by extracting isolated PSDs with lithium diiodosalicylate (LIS). This selectively solubilized actin and spectrin while other prominent PSD proteins, such as CaMK II alpha, the AMPA- and NMDA-type glutamate receptors and GABA receptors, were not extracted at all. Electron microscopy revealed that LIS treatment caused some fragmentation of PSDs but that their basic lattice-like structure remained intact. These observations suggest that PSD structure is organised at two levels; a core component containing CaMK II alpha and neurotransmitter receptors which we have previously described as the postsynaptic junctional lattice and a peripheral actin-associated component that draws the lattice components together into the complete PSD structure.

Embryonic chicken gizzard: smooth muscle and non-muscle myosin isoforms

Antibodies to smooth muscle and non-muscle myosin allow the development of smooth muscle and its capillary system in the embryonic chicken gizzard to be followed by immunofluorescent techniques. Although smooth muscle development proceeds in a serosal to luminal direction, angiogenetic cell clusters develop independently at the luminal side close to the epithelial layer, and the presumptive capillaries invade the developing muscle in a luminal to serosal direction. The smooth muscle and non-muscle myosin heavy chains in this avian system cannot be separated by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and do not show isoform specificity in immunoblotting, unlike the system found in mammals. Only two myosin heavy chains with M(r) of 200 and 196 kDa were separable and considerable immunological cross-reactivity was found between the denatured myosin isoform heavy chains.

Effects of androgen deprivation and estrogen treatment on the structure and protein expression of the rat coagulating gland

The effects of androgen deprivation and estrogen stimulation on rat coagulating gland were determined by immunohistochemistry and morphometric quantification of different tissue compartments. In castrated or estrogen-treated or estrogen-treated castrated animals, the reduction of the glandular lumen is the most obvious morphological alteration, which is accompanied by an increase in stromal tissue, especially within the lamina propria. Regressive changes occur most rapidly in castrated animals (already by the end of the first week), slower in estrogen-treated castrated animals, and still slower in estrogen-treated normal animals. In castrated animals, epithelium shows a reduction of rough endoplasmic reticulum, loss of secretory blebs, and a decrease of cell size and immunoreactivity for secretory transglutaminase. The reduction of glandular lumen results from an impressive increase in connective tissue of the lamina propria. Smooth muscle cells become atrophic in castrated animals, less so in estrogen-treated animals and in castrated estrogen-treated animals. A relative increase in thickness of the smooth muscle cell layer occurs in all experimental groups and is most obvious in estrogen-treated normal animals. The proportion of myofilament and intermediate filament proteins (smooth muscle-specific actin and desmin immunoreactivities) remains nearly unaltered in these cells after hormonal challenge. A redistribution of intermediate filaments occurs forming thicker bundles within the cells. No indication for increased mitotic activity of estrogenized smooth muscle cells has been found. After castration, and after estrogen treatment, the fibroblasts and the smooth muscle cells, respectively, appear responsible for the architectural changes within the coagulating gland. Reactions of the stroma are differentially regulated after estrogen treatment and androgen deprivation. No indication for increased biosynthetic activities of smooth muscle cells has been observed in any of the experimental conditions.

Arguments against the prostatic origin of the R-3327 Dunning H tumor

The Dunning tumor, originally described as a carcinoma of the rat dorsal prostate, has for long been used as an experimental model of prostatic cancer. We have recently presented a number of morphological findings that are incompatible with the prostatic origin of the H-subline of the Dunning tumor. In this paper, biochemical and immunohistochemical markers of rat prostate and mammary gland are studied in the R-3327 Dunning H tumor. Pieces of the H tumor were inoculated in male or lactating female rats. The electrophoretic protein pattern of Dunning tumor extracts was more similar to that of the mammary gland than the dorsolateral prostate. Proteins selectively appearing after metabolic labeling in Dunning tumors grown in lactating rats corresponded to labeled proteins in mammary glands from the same animals. Secretory proteins typical of the lateral prostate (SVS II) and dorsal prostate (transglutaminase) could not be detected immunohistochemically in the Dunning tumor. Western blot studies of tumor extracts and slot blot analysis of RNA preparations from the tumor confirmed the absence of SVS II and prostate specific transglutaminase from the Dunning tumor. On the other hand, the presence of mammary gland proteins such as milk fat globule membrane proteins, lactoperoxidase and lactalbumin were detected in the Dunning tumor by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, but were absent from the dorsolateral prostate. Transferrin-mRNA, expressed in the male urogenital tract and also in the liver and other tissues, was detected in the mammary gland and Dunning tumor, but not in the dorsolateral prostate. The absence of mammary gland secretory beta-casein in the Dunning tumor was related to the elevated Ha-ras oncogene expression in the tumor, previously reported to suppress casein expression. The findings clearly demonstrate that the prostate cannot be the origin of the Dunning tumor, presently being used in prostatic cancer research. The designation prostatic adenocarcinoma for this tumor is therefore invalid. Furthermore, the data support our view that mammary gland might be the origin of the Dunning tumor, although the derivation from the bulbourethral or the parotid glands cannot strictly be excluded.

Estrogen-induced morphological and immunohistochemical changes in stroma and epithelium of rat ventral prostate

Prostatic smooth muscle cells have been regarded to play a major pathogenetic role during the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in elderly men. Altered hormonal signals (increased estrogen) have been made responsible for the "metabolic" transformation of prostatic smooth muscle cells, which were thought to produce increased amounts of connective tissue fibers observed in BPH. In order to find out the role of metabolically "activated" smooth muscle cells, hormone stimulation experiments were performed in male rats. The effects of androgen deprivation and estrogen stimulation were recorded by semiquantitative analysis of intermediate and myofilament proteins in stromal smooth muscle cells. In castrated or estrogen-treated or estrogen-treated and castrated animals, the reduction of the glandular lumen is the most obvious morphological alteration, accompanied by an increase in connective tissue. Regressive changes occurred most rapidly in castrated animals (already within the first week), slower in castrated estrogen-treated animals and still slower in normal estrogen-treated animals. Regression of the epithelium was accompanied by a marked decrease in immunoreactivity for prostatic binding protein (PBP) in castrated animals, while PBP immunoreactivity in estrogenized animals was retained for up to 6 weeks. Smooth muscle cells became atrophic in castrated animals. This effect was attenuated in estrogen-treated animals. There was no indication for enhanced collagen synthesis by smooth muscle cells. Actin and desmin-immunoreactivity were only slightly altered in experimental animals and showed a changed distribution pattern. Prostatic smooth muscle cells respond less markedly to hormonal alterations than do the fibroblasts.

Basal cells of H-Dunning tumor are myoepithelial cells. A comparative immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study with male accessory sex glands and mammary gland

Recent immunohistochemical studies have shown that basal cells in human prostatic epithelium are not myoepithelial cells. Since in the literature the Dunning tumor, originally described as a rat prostate carcinoma derived from the dorsolateral prostate of a Copenhagen rat, was reported to have myoepithelial cells, a comparative immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study was performed in the H-, HIF- and AT3-lines of the Dunning tumor, the male accessory sex glands (ventral, dorsal, lateral prostate, coagulating gland, bulbourethral gland) and the mammary gland of both Copenhagen and Wistar rats. Mono- and polyclonal antibodies directed against intermediate filament proteins (cytokeratin, desmin, vimentin) and the contractile proteins (alpha-actin, muscle type specific myosin, tropomyosin) were used along with phalloidin decoration of F-actin. As in the human prostate, none of the rat prostate lobes in either strains did contain basal cells expressing cytokeratin along with alpha-actin, myosin and tropomyosin Cells representing fully differentiated myoepithelial cells, however, were present as anticipated in the mammary gland, the bulbourethral gland and the H-tumor line of the Dunning tumor. This finding is difficult to reconcile with the contention of a prostatic origin of the H-Dunning tumor. Further studies are required to classify the epithelial parental tissue in order to define the true origin of the H-Dunning tumor and the tumor lines derived thereof.