Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Acta Histochem. 2013 Apr;115(3):252-6. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2012.07.005. Epub 2012 Aug 13.
Although connexin36 (Cx36) has been studied in several tissues, it is notable that no data are available on Cx36 expression in the carotid body and the intestine. The present study was undertaken to evaluate using immunohistochemistry, PCR and Western blotting procedures, whether Cx36 was expressed in the mouse carotid body and in the intestine at ileum and colon level. In the carotid body, Cx36 was detected as diffuse punctate immunostaining and as protein by Western blotting and mRNA by RT-PCR. Cx36 punctate immunostaining was also evident in the intestine with localization restricted to the myenteric plexus of both the ileum and the colon, and this detection was also confirmed by Western blotting and RT-PCR. All the data obtained were validated using Cx36 knockout mice. Taken together the present data on localization of Cx36 gap-junctions in two tissues of neural crest-derived neuroendocrine organs may provide an anatomical basis for future functional investigations.
尽管连接蛋白 36（Cx36）已在多种组织中进行了研究，但值得注意的是，目前尚无关于颈动脉体和肠道中 Cx36 表达的数据。本研究采用免疫组织化学、PCR 和 Western blot 方法，评估 Cx36 是否在小鼠颈动脉体和回肠及结肠水平的肠道中表达。在颈动脉体中，Cx36 通过 Western blot 和 RT-PCR 检测为弥散点状免疫染色和蛋白，通过 RT-PCR 检测为 mRNA。Cx36 点状免疫染色在肠道中也很明显，定位于回肠和结肠的肌间神经丛，这一检测也通过 Western blot 和 RT-PCR 得到了证实。所有获得的数据均使用 Cx36 基因敲除小鼠进行了验证。综上所述，Cx36 缝隙连接在两个神经嵴源性神经内分泌器官组织中的定位为未来的功能研究提供了解剖学基础。
