Wada C, Hashimoto C, Kameya T, Yamaguchi K, Ono M
Department of Pathology, Kitasato University, School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol Incl Mol Pathol. 1988;55(4):217-23. doi: 10.1007/BF02896578.
Calcitonin (CT) and the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are generated by alternative RNA processing from a single CT/CGRP gene. Recently, we reported the existence of CGRP-immunoreactivity and CGRP mRNA in endocrine cells or Kulchitsky (K) cells of human and rat lung [Wada et al. 1987b]. In this report, an examination was made of developmental changes in the expression of the CGRP gene in rat lungs by immunohistochemistry, radioimmunoassay (RIA) and Northern hybridization. CGRP-positive K-cells in lung tissue appeared on the 18th day of gestation. Their number was greatest on the 20th day of gestation and then decreased postnatally. The level of CGRP in rat lung was found to be highest in a 1-day-old neonate by RIA. In the Northern hybridization of rat lung using the CGRP 3' non-coding region (exon 6) of the first human CT/CGRP gene as the probe, 1.0 kilobase (kb) CGRP mRNA was found to be abundant on the 20th day of gestation and in a 1 day-old neonate. It thus appears that CGRP in rat lung is essential for pulmonary adaptation at birth and/or from the last intrauterine stage to the early neonatal period.
降钙素（CT）和降钙素基因相关肽（CGRP）是由单一的CT/CGRP基因通过可变RNA加工产生的。最近，我们报道了在人和大鼠肺的内分泌细胞或库尔契茨基（K）细胞中存在CGRP免疫反应性和CGRP mRNA[和田等人，1987b]。在本报告中，通过免疫组织化学、放射免疫测定（RIA）和Northern杂交，对大鼠肺中CGRP基因表达的发育变化进行了研究。肺组织中CGRP阳性K细胞在妊娠第18天出现。它们的数量在妊娠第20天最多，然后在出生后减少。通过RIA发现，大鼠肺中CGRP的水平在1日龄新生儿中最高。在用第一个人CT/CGRP基因的CGRP 3'非编码区（外显子6）作为探针进行的大鼠肺Northern杂交中，发现1.0千碱基（kb）的CGRP mRNA在妊娠第20天和1日龄新生儿中丰富。因此，大鼠肺中的CGRP似乎对出生时和/或从子宫内最后阶段到新生儿早期的肺适应至关重要。
