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Immunocytochemical Study of Peptidylarginine Deiminase: Localization of Its Immunoreactivity in Prolactin Cells of Female Rat Pituitaries^*

KYOICHI AKIYAMA, KINJI INOUE and TATSUO SENSHU

Department of Biochemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Tokyo 173
the Department of Morphology, Institute of Endocrinology, Gunma University Maebashi371, Japan

Address requests for reprints to: Dr. Kyoichi Akiyama, Department of Biochemistry, Tokyo Metropolotan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173, Japan.

Abstract

We have performed an immunocytochemical study of peptidylarginine deiminase (EC 3.5.3.15) in rat pituitaries. Male and female rat pituitaries were fixed by brief transcardial perfusion of Bouin Hollande Sublimate solution. Immunoperoxidase staining of cryosections obtained from female pituitaries with an antiserum to rat skeletal muscle peptidylarginine deiminase yielded specific staining of numerous cells in the pars distalis. In contrast, few immunopositive cells were noted in the pars distalis of male pituitaries. At least some of the immunopositive cells in female pars distalis were also stained with an antiserum to rat PRL. No such coincidence of immunoreactivities was noted when antisera to other anterior pituitary hormones were used. Biochemical and immunocytochemical examination of peptidylarginine deiminase during the pregnant period revealed its marked depletion on day 7 and its substantial restoration on day 14, showing apparently negative correlation with the known changes in the secretory activities of lactotrophs. This and the female-dominant occurrence of peptidylarginine deiminase in lactotrophs suggest significant involvement of the enzyme in the function of lactotrophs.

Footnotes

^* This work was partly supported by Grant-in-Aid 62580160 from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture, Japan.

Present address: Department of Morphology, Institute of Endocrinology, Gunma University, 3-39-15 Showamachi, Naebashi 371, Japan.

Present address: Department of Biochemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173, Japan.

Received February 16, 1989.