Fröjdman K, Pelliniemi L J, Lendahl U, Virtanen I, Eriksson J E
Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Finland.
Differentiation. 1997 May;61(4):243-9. doi: 10.1046/j.1432-0436.1997.6140243.x.
Nestin is an intermediate filament (IF) protein (IFP) which occurs during early developmental stages and during regenerative processes in muscle and neuronal cells. The spatial and temporal localization of nestin in the developing testis of rat and mouse was studied by immunolabeling light and electron microscopy and by immunoblotting. Nestin localization was related to the localization of the other major IFPs specific for this tissue, i.e. cytokeratins, vimentin and desmin. Laminin immunocytochemistry and conventional microscopy were used to identify tissues and cells. With the incipient differentiation of the gonadal anlage, the reaction for nestin was weak in the gonadal ridge, whereas the cells of the mesonephric mesenchyme showed a prominent reaction for this IFP. The nestin-specific reaction in the epithelial mesonephric duct and tubules was weak and disappeared at an early phase of differentiation. With the development of the testis proper, nestin was transiently found in several cell types. Nestin was found as well as vimentin and cytokeratins in the Sertoli cells. In the interstitial cells nestin was found together with vimentin and desmin IFPs, and was most prominent in the differentiating myoid cells. After birth, nestin gradually disappeared from the testicular cells and in the rat at puberty was found only in the endothelial cells of some blood vessels. The abolished nestin synthesis in the testis was confirmed by immunoblotting. These results suggest that nestin is required transiently during the development of the testis and mesonephros. The temporary presence of nestin, and several other IFPs during these phases, coincides with key phases of urogenital sex differentiation. This may imply that the orchestrated synthesis of the IFPs nestin, cytokeratins, vimentin and desmin is likely to be linked with the genes regulating sex differentiation.
巢蛋白是一种中间丝（IF）蛋白（IFP），在肌肉和神经细胞的早期发育阶段以及再生过程中出现。通过免疫标记光镜和电镜以及免疫印迹法，研究了巢蛋白在大鼠和小鼠发育中的睾丸中的时空定位。巢蛋白的定位与该组织特有的其他主要IFP的定位有关，即细胞角蛋白、波形蛋白和结蛋白。层粘连蛋白免疫细胞化学和传统显微镜用于识别组织和细胞。随着性腺原基的初始分化，性腺嵴中巢蛋白的反应较弱，而中肾间充质细胞对这种IFP表现出明显的反应。中肾小管和小管上皮中的巢蛋白特异性反应较弱，并在分化的早期阶段消失。随着睾丸本身的发育，巢蛋白在几种细胞类型中短暂出现。在支持细胞中发现了巢蛋白以及波形蛋白和细胞角蛋白。在间质细胞中，巢蛋白与波形蛋白和结蛋白IFP一起被发现，并且在分化的肌样细胞中最为突出。出生后，巢蛋白逐渐从睾丸细胞中消失，在大鼠青春期仅在一些血管的内皮细胞中发现。免疫印迹证实了睾丸中巢蛋白合成的消失。这些结果表明，巢蛋白在睾丸和中肾的发育过程中是短暂需要的。在这些阶段巢蛋白和其他几种IFP的暂时存在与泌尿生殖系统性别分化的关键阶段相吻合。这可能意味着巢蛋白、细胞角蛋白、波形蛋白和结蛋白等IFP的协调合成可能与调节性别分化的基因有关。
