Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
J Mol Histol. 2010 Feb;41(1):27-37. doi: 10.1007/s10735-010-9259-5. Epub 2010 Mar 14.
Proteolysis of extracellular matrix is an important requirement for embryonic development and is instrumental in processes such as morphogenesis, angiogenesis, and cell migration. Efficient remodeling requires controlled spatio-temporal expression of both the proteases and their inhibitors. Protein C inhibitor (PCI) effectively blocks a range of serine proteases, and recently has been suggested to play a role in cell differentiation and angiogenesis. In this study, we mapped the expression pattern of PCI throughout mouse development using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. We detected a wide-spread, yet distinct expression pattern with prominent PCI levels in skin including vibrissae, and in fore- and hindgut. Further sites of PCI expression were choroid plexus of brain ventricles, heart, skeletal muscles, urogenital tract, and cartilages. A strong and stage-dependent PCI expression was observed in the developing lung. In the pseudoglandular stage, PCI expression was present in distal branching tubules whereas proximal tubules did not express PCI. Later in development, in the saccular stage, PCI expression was restricted to distal bronchioli whereas sacculi did not express PCI. PCI expression declined in postnatal stages and was not detected in adult lungs. In general, embryonic PCI expression indicates multifunctional roles of PCI during mouse development. The expression pattern of PCI during lung development suggests its possible involvement in lung morphogenesis and angiogenesis.
细胞外基质的蛋白水解是胚胎发育的重要要求，对于形态发生、血管生成和细胞迁移等过程至关重要。有效的重塑需要蛋白酶及其抑制剂的时空表达得到有效控制。蛋白 C 抑制剂（PCI）可有效阻断多种丝氨酸蛋白酶，最近有研究表明其在细胞分化和血管生成中发挥作用。在本研究中，我们通过原位杂交和免疫组织化学技术，研究了 PCI 在小鼠发育过程中的表达模式。结果显示，PCI 具有广泛而独特的表达模式，在皮肤（包括触须）、前肠和后肠中表达水平较高。此外，PCI 还在脑室脉络丛、心脏、骨骼肌、泌尿生殖道和软骨中有表达。在发育中的肺中，PCI 表达较强且具有阶段性。在假腺样期，PCI 表达存在于远端分支小管中，而近端小管不表达 PCI。在后期的囊泡期，PCI 表达仅限于远端细支气管，而囊泡不表达 PCI。在出生后阶段，PCI 表达下降，在成年肺中检测不到。总的来说，胚胎期 PCI 的表达表明其在小鼠发育过程中具有多功能作用。PCI 在肺发育过程中的表达模式提示其可能参与肺形态发生和血管生成。
