Skip to main content

Immunoreactivities for chromogranin A and B, and secretogranin II in the guinea-pig endocrine pancreas

Histochemistry volume 94, pages 479–484 (1990)Cite this article

Summary

The chromogranins are acidic proteins present in various endocrine cells and organs. They consist of chromogranin A (CgA), chromogranin B (CgB) and secretogranin II (SgII). In the pancreas, these proteins or their breakdown products are possibly involved in the regulation of pancreatic hormone secretion. The guinea-pig endocrine pancreas was now investigated immunohistochemically for the presence of the chromogranins in five endocrine cell types. CgA is a regular constituent of insulin (B-), pancreatic polypeptide (PP-) and enterochromaffin (EC-) cells. In addition, a minority of somatostatin (D-) cells were immunoreactive for CgA. CgB immunoreactivities were very faint and exclusively observed in B-cells. SgII was found in B- and PP-cells; a faint immunostaining for SgII was also seen in a few glucagon (A-) cells. Typically, the densities of CgA or SgII immunoreactivities varied among the members of a given cell population, e.g. among individual B- or PP-cells. The present findings about the heterogeneities of immunoreactivities for the chromogranins are in line with findings obtained in pancreatic endocrine cells of other species. The true reasons for these heterogeneities are enigmatic. It seems probable, however, that the corresponding immunoreactivities depend on the intracellular processing of the chromogranins which in turn might be related to the metabolic state of endocrine cells. This has to be examined in future by experimental investigations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Benedum UM, Baeuerle PA, Konecki DS, Frank R, Powell J, Mallet J, Huttner WB (1986) The primary structure of bovine chromogranin A: a representative of a class of acidic secretory proteins common to a variety of peptidergic cells. EMBO J 5:1495–1502

    Google Scholar 

  • Benedum UM, Lamouroux A, Konecki DS, Rosa P, Hille A, Baeuerle PA, Frank R, Lottspeich F, Mallet J, Huttner WB (1987) The primary structure of human secretogranin I (chromogranin B): comparison with chromogranin A reveals homologous terminal domains and a large intervening variable region. EMBO J 6:1203–1211

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaschko H, Comline RS, Schneider FH, Silver M, Smith AD (1967) Secretion of a chromaffin granule protein, chromogranin, from the adrenal gland after splanchnic stimulation. Nature 215:58–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Buffa R, Marè P, Gini A, Salvadore M (1988) Chromogranins A and B and secretogranin II in hormonally identified endocrine cells of the gut and the pancreas. Basic Appl Histochem 32:471–484

    Google Scholar 

  • Cetin Y, Müller-Köppel L, Aunis D, Bader M-F, Grube D (1989) Chromogranin A (CgA) in the gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) endocrine system. II. CgA in mammalian entero-endocrine cells. Histochemistry 92:265–275

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrhart M, Grube D, Bader MF, Aunis D, Gratzl M (1986) Chromogranin A in the pancreatic islet: cellular and subcellular distribution. J Histochem Cytochem 34:1673–1682

    Google Scholar 

  • Eiden LE (1987) Is chromogranin a prohormone? Nature 325:301

    Google Scholar 

  • Eiden LE, Huttner WB, Mallet J, O'Connor DT, Winkler H, Zanini A (1987) A nomenclature proposal for the chromogranin/secretogranin proteins. Neuroscience 21:1019–1021

    Google Scholar 

  • Erlandsen SL (1980) Types of pancreatic islet cells and their immunocytochemical identification. In: Fitzgerald PJ, Morrison AB (eds) The pancreas. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 140–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Falck B, Hillarp N-Å, Thieme G, Torp A (1962) Fluorescence of catecholamines and related compounds condensed with formaldehyde. J Histochem Cytochem 10:348–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer-Colbrie R, Schober M (1987) Isolation and characterization of chromogranins A, B, and C from bovine chromaffin granules and rat pheochromocytoma. J Neurochem 48:262–270

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer-Colbrie R, Hagn C, Kilpatrick L, Winkler H (1986) Chromogranin C: a third component of the acidic proteins in chromaffin granules. J Neurochem 47:318–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Fujita T, Kanno T, Kobayashi S (1988) The paraneuron. Springer, Tokyo Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Grube D (1980) Immunoreactivities of gastrin (G-) cells. II. Nonspecific binding of immunoglobulins to G-cells by ionic interactions. Histochemistry 66:149–167

    Google Scholar 

  • Grube D, Kusumoto Y (1986) Serial semithin sections in immunohistochemistry: techniques and applications. Arch Histol Jpn 49:391–410

    Google Scholar 

  • Grube D, Yoshie S (1989) Immunohistochemistry of chromogranin A and B, and secretogranin II in the canine endocrine pancreas. Arch Histol Cytol 52:287–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Grube D, Aunis D, Bader F, Cetin Y, Jörns A, Yoshie S (1986) Chromogranin A (CGA) in the gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) endocrine system. I. CGA in the mammalian endocrine pancreas. Histochemistry 85:441–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Grube D, Bargsten G, Cetin Y, Yoshie S (1989) Chromogranins in mammalian GEP endocrine cells: their distribution and interrelations with co-stored amines and peptides. Arch Histol Cytol 52 [Suppl]:91–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagn C, Schmid KW, Fischer-Colbrie R, Winkler H (1986) Chromogranin A, B, and C in human adrenal medulla and endocrine tissues. Lab Invest 55:405–411

    Google Scholar 

  • Huttner WB, Benedum UM (1987) Chromogranin A and pancreastatin. Nature 325:305

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutton JC, Davidson HW, Grimaldi KA, Peshavaria M (1987a) Biosynthesis of betagranin in pancreatic β-cells. Biochem J 244:449–456

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutton JC, Davidson HW, Peshavaria M (1987b) Proteolytic processing of chromogranin A in purified insulin granules. Biochem J 244:457–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutton JC, Davidson HW, Peshavaria M (1987c) The mechanism of chromogranin A processing. Nature 325:766

    Google Scholar 

  • Iacangelo A, Affolter HU, Eiden LE, Herbert E, Grimes M (1986) Bovine chromogranin A: its sequence and the distribution of its messenger RNA in endocrine tissues. Nature 323:82–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Konecki DS, Benedum UM, Gerdes HH, Huttner WB (1987) The primary structure of chromogranin A and pancreastatin. J Biol Chem 262:17026–17030

    Google Scholar 

  • Lassmann H, Hagn C, Fischer-Colbrie R, Winkler H (1986) Presence of chromogranin A, B and C in bovine endocrine and nervous tissues: a comparative immunohistochemical study. Histochem J 18:380–386

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearse AGE, Polak JM, Adams C, Kendall PA (1974) Diethylpyrocarbonate, a vapour-phase fixative for immunofluorescence studies on polypeptide hormones. Histochem J 6:347–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Rindi G, Buffa R, Sessa F, Tortora O, Solcia E (1986) Chromogranin A, B and C immunoreactivities of mammalian endocrine cells. Distribution, distinction from costored hormones/prohormones and relationship with argyrophil component of secretory granules. Histochemistry 85:19–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith AD, Winkler H (1967) Purification and properties of an acidic protein from chromaffin granules of bovine adrenal medulla. Biochem J 103:483–492

    Google Scholar 

  • Sternberger LA (1986) Immunohistochemistry, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Tatemoto K, Efendic S, Mutt V, Makk G, Feistner GJ, Barchas JD (1986) Pancreastatin, a novel pancreatic peptide that inhibits insulin secretion. Nature 324:476–478

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshie S, Hagn C, Ehrhart M, Fischer-Colbrie R, Grube D, Winkler H, Gratzl M (1987) Immunological characterization of chromogranins A and B and secretogranin II in the bovine pancreatic islet. Histochemistry 87:99–106

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Anatomie 1 der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover, Postfach 610180, D-3000, Hannover 61, Federal Republic of Germany

    Y. Cetin & D. Grube

Authors
  1. Y. Cetin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. Grube
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cetin, Y., Grube, D. Immunoreactivities for chromogranin A and B, and secretogranin II in the guinea-pig endocrine pancreas. Histochemistry 94, 479–484 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272610

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272610

Keywords

  • Public Health
  • Cell Population
  • Polypeptide
  • Experimental Investigation
  • Glucagon