Cell surface localization and tissue distribution of a hepatocyte cell-cell adhesion glycoprotein (cell-CAM 105).

We recently identified a 105,000-dalton plasma membrane glycoprotein, denoted cell-CAM 105 (CAM, cell adhesion molecule), that is involved in intercellular adhesion of reaggregating rat hepatocytes (Ocklind, C., and B. Obrink, 1982, J. Biol. Chem., 257:6788-6795). In this communication we used a monospecific rabbit antiserum against cell-CAM 105 to localize the antigen by indirect immunofluorescence on isolated rat cells and on frozen rat tissue sections. This antiserum stained the surface of freshly isolated hepatocytes. In liver sections, however, the fluorescence seemed to be located exclusively along the bile canaliculi. In addition, cell-CAM 105 showed a very specific tissue distribution. Thus a specific fluorescence was seen only in the epithelia of the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine, the glandular epithelium of the parotid gland, and the tubules of the kidney. No specific fluorescence was found in variety of other tissues, including cartilage, interstitial connective tissue, smooth muscle, skeletal muscle, heart muscle, eye, brain, skin, the epithelia of oesophagus, bladder, uterin mucosa, thyroid follicles, prostate gland, or collecting ducts of the kidney. In the simple epithelia of the intestine and the kidney tubules the fluorescence was confined to the apical, luminal portion. Thus, both in these epithelia and in liver, cell-CAM 105 was confined to the apical, luminal portion. Thus, both in these epithelia and in liver, cell-CAM 105 was located where the typical junctional complexes between cells are found. These findings taken together with the fact that cell-CAM 105 is involved in intercellular adhesion between hepatocytes suggest with the fac that cell-CAM 105 is involved in intercellular adhesion between hepatocytes suggest that cell-CAM 105 is a member of the junctional complexes of hepatocytes and some simple epithelia.