Presence of smooth muscle myosin-like protein on liver cells.

Antiserum against purified chicken smooth muscle myosin was obtained from rabbits. The serum was specific for smooth muscle myosin and did not react with myosins from fast and slow skeletal muscle or cardiac muscle. Using this specific antibody, the location of smooth muscle myosin-like protein was studied by double antibody immunofluorescence microscopy with sections of chicken liver tissue. Marked fluorescence was demonstrated along the sinusoids of hepatic tissue and the vascular walls. The findings in this study suggest that a myosin-like protein, which is immunologically similar to the myosin from smooth muscle but not to myosins from skeletal or cardiac muscle would exist on the sinusoidal surface of liver cells.