Immunocytochemical localization of chemoattractant proteinase in whole human skin, fibroblasts, lymphocytes, and granulocytes.

A monospecific antibody to purified human skin chemotactic proteinase was raised in rabbits and shown to produce a single line of identity against crude and purified human proteinase. The antibody was used to localize the proteinase in human fibroblasts, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, lymphocytes, and sections of whole skin. All cells demonstrated particulate extranuclear staining. Whole human skin demonstrated staining of the epidermis, especially in the granular layer; particulate staining was also found in the dermis. Staining could be blocked by preincubation of the rabbit anti-human neutral proteinase with purified proteinase antigen. These data indicate that neutral proteinase is located in a number of different human cells in a particulate distribution.