Abstract.
Immunohistochemical studies on various parts of the rat gastrointestinal tract by means of an antibody against the mitochondrial chaperonin, heat-shock protein 60 (hsp60), has revealed a cell-specific distribution pattern. The active form of hsp60 is a heptameric complex that is involved in the import and refolding of nuclear-encoded proteins destined for the mitochondrial matrix. This chaperonin is detectable in highly replicating cells, e.g., keratinizing cells of the esophagus and short-living epithelial cells of the intestine. In the stomach, some of the oxyntic cells contain hsp60-positive mitochondria lying near intracellular canaliculi. Neuronal cells of the enteric nervous system present intense positive staining for hsp60 in some areas. All other non-epithelial cells of the digestive tract show weak or no hsp60 immunoreactivity. The presence of hsp60 in mitochondria seems to reflect two different forms of mitochondrial renewal: (1) total reformation of mitochondria and their content after mitotic division and (2) regeneration of these organelles following high activity, e.g., ATP synthesis.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 17 May 1996 / Accepted: 15 August 1996
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Möbius, J., Groos, S., Meinhardt, A. et al. Differential distribution of the mitochondrial heat-shock protein 60 in rat gastrointestinal tract. Cell Tissue Res 287, 343–350 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004410050759
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004410050759