In situ localization of mRNA for epidermal growth factor in the submandibular gland of the mouse

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a polypeptide originally isolated from the mouse submandibular gland, where it is localized immunocytochemically in cells of the granular convoluted tubules (GCT). cDNAs encoding the precursor of mouse submandibular EGF have been cloned (Scott et al. Science 221:236, 1983; Gray et al. Nature 303:722, 1983). A fragment of one of these clones, pmegf10, containing the EGF coding region, was tritium-labeled by nick-translation and used as a probe for in situ hybridization to EGF mRNA. A specific hybridization signal for EGF mRNA was seen only in mature or developing GCT cells. The intensity of the signal was stronger in glands of intact males than in females or in castrated males. In glands of castrates treated with testosterone, or of intact females treated with triiodothyronine (T3), the signal was comparable to that in intact males. In glands of males treated with T3 the intensity of the signal was stronger than in untreated males. A weak to moderate signal was seen in developing GCT cells of 20-day-old males but not females. Hybridization for 3 days gave a stronger signal than that for 1 day. No signal was seen in either sex at 10 days of age, or in control preparations exposed to labeled DNA of pBR322. The presence of EGF mRNA exclusively in GCT cells provides strong evidence that these cells are the only site of synthesis of EGF in the submandibular gland. In situ hybridization with this cDNA probe will provide a sensitive method to determine possible cellular sites of EGF production outside of the submandibular gland.     

Immunocytochemical demonstration of nerve growth factor and histofluorescence of catecholaminergic nerves in the salivary glands of diabetic mice

Summary Nerve growth factor (NGF) was localized in the submandibular, sublingual, and parotid salivary glands of male and female diabetic mice and their normal littermates by immunoperoxidase staining usingp-phenylenediamine-pyrocatechol as a chromogen for the cytochemical demonstration of peroxidase activity. In the normal male submandibular gland, immunoreactive NGF was localized in the apical regions of granular, intercalated and collecting duct cells, while in the normal female submandibular gland, NGF was present throughout the cytoplasm of granular duct cells. The localization of NGF in the diabetic male and female submandibular glands was similar and resembled that of the normal female. NGF immunoreactivity was also observed in the striated duct cells in the sublingual and parotid glands of all four types of mice.The sympathetic innervation of the submandibular glands of normal and diabetic mice was demonstrated using glyoxylic acid-induced histofluorescence. The pattern of sympathetic innervation and the intensity of catecholamine fluorescence was consistently different in the four types of mice. In the normal male submandibular gland the fluorescence was very intense, particularly in nerves adjacent to the granular ducts. In the normal female submandibular gland, the fluorescence was weak, while in the diabetic male and female the fluorescence was moderate.The correlation between the intensity of the immunocytochemical staining for NGF and the catecholamine fluorescence adjacent to the granular ducts suggests a trophic influence of the NGF-containing granular ducts on their sympathetic innervation.     

The use of microwave irradiation as a pretreatment toin situ hybridization for the detection of measles virus and chicken anaemia virus in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue

Summary Microwave irradiation was investigated as a pretreatment toin situ hybridization on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. Two probe/tissue systems were used: a single-stranded RNA probe for the detection of measles virus nucleocapsid genome in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis brain tissue, and a double stranded DNA probe for chicken anaemia virus in thymus of chicken infected with the virus. Microwaving, when used as sole pretreatment, was not as effective as the more traditional enzyme pretreatments forin situ hybridization. However, when used in combination with existing pretreatments, a significant increase was found in hybridization signal in both brain and thymus tissue. This was emphasized when combination enzyme/microwave pretreatments were used prior to detection of measles virus byin situ hybridization in a series of five archival subacute sclerosing panencephalitis cases. The use of microwave irradiation would be recommended as a means of supplementingin situ hybridization methods, especially when using long-term formalin fixed paraffin-embedded tissue.     

A one-day double-labelling technique for tissue specimens: Immunogold-silver staining forin situ hybridization combined with alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) immunohistochemistry for antigens

Summary An improved technique is described that addresses the problems of sensitivity, specificity, the use of hazardous radioactive equipment and time consumption in immunohistochemical labelling and double labelling ofin situ hybridization of tissue specimens. It consists of a two-step protocol in which digoxigenin-uridine triphosphate (UTP) labelled riboprobes in thein situ hybridization step are visualized by the immunogold-silver staining method, and double labelling of tissue antigens is achieved by the application of an alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase staining step. We tested this protocol using snap-frozen tissue sections of synovial tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The target mRNA was detected by perforin or cathepsin D riboprobes, the double labelling was performed using anti-collagen type IV and alpha-smooth muscle actin antibodies. It is concluded that, in comparison with an established three-to four-day double-labelling protocol used in many laboratories, this one-day combination is currently the most rapid assay of reliable quality for double labelling ofin situ hybridization products and tissue antigens.     

Nerve growth factor-like immunoreactivities in rodent salivary glands and testis

Summary A series of polyclonal affinity-purified antibodies against mouse submandibular-gland nerve growth factor (NGF) are described. Using the submandibular gland of the male mouse and indirect immunofluorescence, the specificity and sensitivity of affinity-purified immunoglobulins and various other fractions from the immunized animals have been tested. It will be shown that affinity-purification schemes, including pre-purification of protein A-fractionated immunoglobulins to remove antibodies that bind to unrelated hydrophilic and hydrophobic proteins, significantly enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and specificity of the antibodies. The antibodies effectively detect NGF-like immunoreactivity in both fresh and fixed glandular tissue. Optimal fixation procedures are described. Fluorescence intensities are linearly correlated to log antibody concentration. By use of the best antibody fractions and optimal fixation protocols, the distribution of NGF-like immunoreactivity is described in eight different salivary glands (rat and mouse, male and female, submandibular and sublingual glands). In addition to the well-known large numbers of immunoreactive cells in the submandibular gland of the male mouse, immunoreactive cells were found in the sublingual gland of male mice and in the submandibular and sublingual glands of female mice. One antibody revealed a weak specific fluorescence also in the submandibular gland of the male mouse. In a survey of genital organs of male mice, one antibody revealed fluorescence in the germ cell line. We conclude that several polyclonal affinity-purified antibodies have been characterized that show a strong NGF-dependent binding to the secretory granules of tubular cells in the submandibular gland of male mice. These antibodies should make it possible to locate endogenous and perturbed NGF levels immunocytochemically, e.g., in the peripheral and central nervous system, where NGF concentrations may be several orders of magnitude lower than in the salivary glands.     

Cloning and mapping of 5' exons from the gene encoding chicken beta nerve growth factor.

An NGF cDNA containing the 5' exons of the nerve growth factor (NGF) messenger was obtained from chicken heart mRNA using the anchored polymerase chain reaction technique. Alignment of the chicken with the corresponding murine and human sequences reveals interspecies similarities. A sequence corresponding to an exon found only in the NGF messenger, which is abundant in the submaxillary gland of the male mouse, is present in the chicken NGF cDNA. The first non-coding exons of the NGF gene are much less conserved between chicken and mouse or human than the region of the last exon encoding the mature protein. After the cloning of the chicken NGF gene from a cosmid library, the chicken NGF exons have been located within 20 kb of DNA. The chicken NGF gene is therefore shorter than its murine counterpart which spans more than 43 kb. Furthermore, the organization of the chicken and murine NGF genes markedly differs in their 5' portion.     

Developmental changes of nerve growth factor levels in sympathetic ganglia and their target organs

The predominant source of nerve growth factor (NGF) used by mature sympathetic neurons originates in their target organs (Heumann, R., Korsching, S., Scott, J., and Thoenen, H. (1984), EMBO J. 3, 3183-3189; Korsching, S., and Thoenen, H. (1985), J. Neurosci. 5, 1058-1061). We have determined the NGF content of two sympathetically innervated mouse organs, submandibular gland and heart ventricle, and of sympathetic ganglia from mouse and rat between embryonic Day 12 (E12) and adulthood. NGF levels were measured by a two-site enzyme immunassay (Korsching, S., and Thoenen, H. (1983), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80, 3513-3516). In heart ventricle and submandibular gland, NGF first became detectable around the time of initial innervation by sympathetic neurons (E12 and E13, respectively) and increased respectively 14- and 7-fold in the following 2 days, to reach adult levels already at E14 for heart ventricle (1.4 +/- 0.2 ng NGF/g wet wt). NGF in the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) was first detected at the same time as in its target organ, the submandibular gland. NGF content in the SCG then increased 6-fold during the next 2 days and continued to increase until the end of the third postnatal week, when adult levels were reached. Although the levels of NGF in the adult mouse submandibular gland are sexually dimorphic and six orders of magnitude higher than those in other sympathetic target organs, no sex difference in the NGF content was found in either developing submandibular gland or SCG until the end of the third postnatal week. Moreover, the steep NGF increase observed in the male submandibular gland after postnatal Day 18 (250-fold within the following 3 days and up to the 55,000-fold in the next 7 days) was not reflected in a corresponding increase in the NGF content of the male SCG. These data indicate that, in accordance with earlier findings (see Levi-Montalcini, R., and Angeletti, P. U. (1968), Physiol. Rev. 48, 534-569), SCG neurons do not have access to the large amounts of NGF synthesized during and after adolescence in the mouse submandibular gland. Our results support the concept that initial fiber outgrowth of sympathetic neurons is neither dependent on NGF nor mediated by it. The time course of NGF levels in the SCG is consistent with the concept that sympathetic neurons are provided with NGF by means of retrograde axonal transport from the innervated organs already early in development.     

Application of flow cytometry for ecological monitoring of the rumen microbial ecosystem

Flow cytometry in combination with fluorescently labeled ribosomal RNA oligonucleotide probes was used for enumeration and monitoring of ruminal bacteria. The polyanionic azo dye Trypan Blue was used for discrimination between live bacterial cells and inorganic particles and the separation was further improved by lysozyme treatment and sonication. Cy3-labeled universally conserved probe EUB338 and FITC-labeledPrevotella bryantii specific probe PBB14 were used forin situ hybridization in mixed culture experiments and in samples of crude rumen fluid. The results were analyzed by flow cytometry. The separation ofP. bryantii andButyrivibrio fibrisolvens, another ruminal bacterium, in mixed culture experiments was satisfactory and enabled monitoring of these bacteria in a test system.P. bryantii cells were detected in crude rumen fluid samples only after supplementation with pure culture cells; this implicates a low concentration ofP. bryantii cellsin vivo (less than 100/nL,i.e. 10⁵ per mL).     

In situ localization of specific RNAs in developing fruit bodies of the basidiomyceteSchizophyllum commune

cDNA clones representing mRNAs abundantly expressed during fruiting ofSchizophyllum commune were used to detect the cellular localization of these mRNAs in freeze-microtome sections of developing fruit bodies. An 18 S rRNA clone was isolated and used as a probe for total RNA. Both RNA and DNA probes with different labels were found suitable but the procedure finally adopted involvedin situ hybridization with nick-translated biotinylated DNA probes. To permit the probes to permeate the cell walls it was necessary to treat the sections with RNasedepletedTrichoderma harzianum wall-lytic enzymes before hybridization. Hybridization at different developmental stages showed that the specific mRNAs were abundantly expressed in specific areas of the fruit bodies.     

Immunohistochemical demonstration of epidermal growth factor and nerve growth factor in experimental carcinogenesis in the mouse submandibular gland

Immunohistochemical demonstration of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) was made during chemical carcinogenesis in the mouse submandibular gland. The granular convoluted tubule cells in the normal male submandibular gland contained larger amounts of EGF and NGF than in the female. The initial phase and early stages in chemical carcinogenesis showed degranulation of the granular convoluted tubule cells with a marked decrease in EGF and NGF. Premalignant lesions such as duct-like structures and multicystic lesions showed variable staining for EGF and were usually negative for NGF. Material secreted into the luminal spaces revealed increased staining for EGF and NGF. Scattered tumor cells of the poorly differentiated squamous-cell carcinoma type and desquamated tumor cells contained abundant EGF, but not NGF. No positive reaction for EGF or NGF was found in the induced squamous-cell carcinoma cells.     

Distribution of nerve growth factor in the submandibular gland of the male and female mouse

Summary Nerve growth factor (NGF) was localized in the mouse submandibular gland by means of indirect immunofluorescence applied to 0.5 mthick sections of freeze-dried, plastic-embedded tissue. The antibody to NGF (I_gG-fraction) was raised in rabbits immunized with pure 2.5 S NGF from submandibular glands of adult male mice.In the male gland anti-NGF bound selectively to the secretory granules was present in the cells of the granular ducts. Immunoreactive granules extended from the perinuclear region toward the apical pole. In the female gland immunoreactive cells and granules were considerably less abundant than in males. Immunofluorescence was confined to individual secretory cells located in the wall of the granular striated duct.In the present study no support was found for the hypothesis suggesting that immunoreactive NGF is formed within the secretory granules during their transport from the perinuclear region to the apical pole.     

Sensitive mRNA detection using unfixed tissue: combined radioactive and non-radioactive in situ hybridization histochemistry

Summary In the present study some experimental parameters for in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH) have been analysed using³⁵S-labelled and alkaline phosphatase-conjugated probes, in order to develop a reproducible double-labelling procedure. We have compared the total exclusion of tissue fixation with tissue sections fixed by immersion in formalin. In addition, the effect of dithiothreitol was assessed both when combining radiolabelled and non-radioactive probes on a single tissue section and when the probes were used separately. Hybridization of unfixed tissue resulted in stronger specific labelling and lower background both for radiolabelled and alkaline phosphatase-conjugated probes. No loss in tissue preservation was seen at the light microscopic level after hybridization of unfixed tissue. High concentrations (200 mM) of dithiothreitol strongly suppressed background when using³⁵S-labelled probes, whereas in the non-radioactive procedure, alkaline phosphatase labelling could only be achieved with very low dithiothreitol concentrations (<1 mM). This incompatibility led to a protocol using unfixed tissue sections and a sequential hybridization procedure, with the radiolabelled probe and high concentrations of dithiothreitol in the first step and the alkaline phosphatase-conjugated probe without dithiothreitol in the second step.     

In situ localization with digoxigenin-labelled probes of tau-related mRNAs in the rat pancreas

Summary Two cDNA probes complementary to fetal rat brain tau cDNA were produced by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and labelled by digoxigenin-11-dUTP incorporation during the PCR elongation step. These probes were tested for thein situ localization of tau mRNAs in sections of rat cerebellum. The hybridization signal was consistent with the known localization of brain tau mRNAs, showing the validity of cDNA probes labelled by digoxigenin during the PCR. Using these probes, anin situ hybridization protocol was established and optimized for the localization of tau-related mRNAs in sections of pancreas. The aim was to determine whether these mRNAs were expressed in the exocrine or the endocrine part of the pancreas. A positive signal was found only in the exocrine part of the pancreas, and was distributed exclusively in the cytoplasm of acinar cells. The results described here are the first evidence for a specific expression of tau-related proteins in the exocrine pancreas.