Summary
The immunocytochemical localization of cytokeratin and vimentin in rat eye tissues was investigated using a panel of 39 monoclonal antibodies specific for single or multiple of cytokeratin polypeptides and one polyclonal anti CK20 antiserum. The retinal and the ciliary body pigment epithelia only expressed cytokeratins 8 and 18, whereas the fetal retinal pigment epithelium and focally the adult epithelium, in the transition zone of retina and ciliary body, exhibited a reactivity for cytokeratin 19. In contrast, the non-pigmented ciliary epithelium was positive for vimentin only.
In the rat conjunctiva distributed goblet cell clusters were selectively stained with cytokeratin 7, 8, 18 and 19 specific monoclonal antibodies. Among them a group of cytokeratin 8 and 18 specific monoclonal antibodies which stained the goblet cells as well as cytokeratin 8 and 18 positive internal controls did not react with either the cytokeratin 8 and 18 positive neuroectodermal cells of the rat eye nor the rat choroid plexus epithelium. This indicates differences in the phenotype e.g. conformational epitope changes, of neuroectodermal derived and other cytokeratins. The corneal and conjunctival epithelium showed a more complex distribution of squamous epithelium type cytokeratins. The limbal region as a transient zone connecting both epithelia exhibited a changing cytokeratin pattern. In general, the study emphasized the necessity to work with an enlarged antibody panel to avoid misleading results in the immunolocalization of cytokeratins.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bosch FX, Leube RE, Achtstaetter Th, Moll R, Franke WW (1988) Expression of simple epithelial type cytokeratins in stratified epithelia as detected by immunolocalization and hybridization in situ. J Cell Biol 106:1635–1648
Broekert D, Goeman L, Ramaekers FCS, Van Muijen GNP, Eto H, Lane EB, Leigh IM, De Bersaques J, Coucke P (1990) An investigation of cytokeratin expression on skin epithelial cysts and some uncommon types of cystic tumours using chain-specific antibodies. Arch Dermatol Res 282:383–391
Cooper D, Schermer A, Sun T-T (1985) Classification of human epithelia and their neoplasms using monoclonal antibodies to keratins: strategies, applications, and limitations. Lab Invest 52:243–256
Franke WW, Jahn L, Knapp AC (1989) Cytokeratins and desmosomal proteins in certain epithelioid and non-epithelial cells. In: Osborn M, Weber K (eds) Cytoskeletal proteins in tumor diagnosis. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Ann Arbor, pp 151–172
Fujita H, Kondo K, Sears M (1984) Eine neue Funktion des nichtpigmentierten Epithels der Ziliarkörperfortsätze bei der Kammerwasserproduktion. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilkd 185:28–34
Hogan MS, Alvarado JA, Weddell J (1971) Histology of the human eye. An atlas and textbook. WB Saunders, London, pp 393–522
Huang AJW, Tseng SCG, Kenyon KR (1988) Morphogenesis of rat conjunctival goblet cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 29:969–975
Jackson BW, Grund C, Schmid E, Burki K, Franke WW, Illmensee K (1980) Formation of cytoskeletal elements during mouse embryogenesis. Intermediate filaments of the cytokeratin type and desmosomes in preimplantation embryos. Differentiation 17:161–179
Kasper M (1984) Immunofluorescence studies in stomach and breast carcinomas and benign breast diseases. Acta Histochem 75:37–45
Kasper M, Karsten U, Stosiek P (1986) Detection of cytokeratins in epithelium of human plexus chorioideus by monoclonal antibodies. Acta Histochem 78:101–103
Kasper M, Munchow T, Stosiek P, Karsten U (1987) Similarities in the composition of intermediate filaments between human ciliary and choroid plexus epithelia — correlation with similar secretory functions. Acta Histochem 82:134–136
Kasper M, Moll R, Stosiek P, Karsten U (1988) Patterns of cytokeratin and vimentin expression in the human eye. Histochemistry 89:369–377
Kasper M (1989) Patterns of cytokeratin/vimentin coexpression in the guinea pig. Acta Histochem 86:85–91
Kasper M, Stosiek P, Van Muijen GNP, Moll R (1989a) Cell type heterogeneity of intermediate filament expression in epithelia of the human pituitary gland. Histochemistry 93:93–102
Kasper M, Stosiek P, Karsten U (1989b) Age-related changes in the expression of cytokeratin and vimentin in human choroid plexus. J Hirnforsch 30:1–4
Kasper M, Perry G, Stosiek P (1991a) Cytokeratin expression in human spinal meninges and ependymal cells. J Hirnforsch (in press)
Kasper M, Stosiek P, Lane EB (1991b) Transient loss of expression of simple epithelial cytokeratins 8 and 18 in the human corneal endothelium, in preparation
Kolega J, Manabe M, Sun T-T (1989) Basement membrane heterogeneity and variation in corneal epithelial differentiation. Differentiation 42:54–63
Kondo H, Yamamoto M, Yamakuni T, Takahashi Y (1988) Heterogeneity of the ciliarly epithelium of the rat eye as revealed by spot 35 protein (a Purkinje cell-specific protein)-like immunoreactivity. Histochemistry 89:53–56
Lane EB, Alexander CM (1990) Use of keratin antibodies in tumor diagnosis. Cancer Biology 1:165–179
Lopez-Briones LG, Wax MB, Coca-Prados M (1990) Regulation of protein phosphorylation in ocular ciliary epithelial cells by A, C and Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent protein kinases. Exp Cell Res 51:277–286
McKechnie NM, Boulton M, Robey HL, Savage FJ, Grierson I (1988) The cytoskeletal elements of human retinal pigment epithelium: in vitro and in vivo. J Cell Sci 91:303–312
Miettinen M, Clark R, Virtanen I (1986) Intermediate filament proteins in choroid plexus and ependyma and their tumors. Am J Pathol 123:231–240
Moll R, Franke WW, Schiller DL, Geiger B, Krepler R (1982) The catalog of human cytokeratin polypeptides: pattern of expression of specific cytokeratins in normal epithelia, tumors and cultured cells. Cell 31:11–24
Moll R (1988) Differenzierungsprogramme des Epithels und ihre Änderungen. Verh Dtsch Ges Pathol 72:102–114
Moll R, Schiller D, Franke WW (1990) Identification of protein IT of the intestinal cytoskeleton as a novel type I cytokeratin with unusual properties and expression patterns. J Cell Biol 111:567–580
Okami T, Yamamoto A, Omori K, Akayama M, Uyama M, Tashiro Y (1989) Quantitative immunocytochemical localization of Na+, K+-ATPase in rat ciliary epithelial cells. J Histochem Cytochem 37:1353–1361
Osborn M, Weber K (1983) Tumor diagnosis by intermediate filament typing: a novel tool for surgical pathology. Lab Invest 48:372–394
Owaribe K, Kartenbeck J, Runger-Braendle E, Franke WW (1988) Cytoskeletons of retinal pigment epithelial cells: Interspecies differences of expression patterns indicate independence of cell function from the specific complement of cytoskeletal proteins. Cell Tissue Res 254:301–315
Ramaekers FCS, Osborn M, Schmid E, Weber K, Bloemendal H, Franke WW (1980) Identification of the cytoskeletal proteins in lens-forming cells, a special epithelioid cell type. Exp Cell Res 127:309–327
Schermer A, Galvin S, Sun T-T (1986) Differentiation-related expression of a major 64-kDa corneal keratin in vivo and in culture suggests limbal location of corneal epithelial stem cells. J Cell Biol 103:49–62
Setzer PY, Nichols BA, Dawson CR (1987) Unusual structure of rat conjunctival epithelium. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 27:531–537
Shamsuddin AKM, Nirankari VS, Purnell DM, Chang SH (1986) Is the corneal posterior cell layer truly endothelial? Ophthalmology 93:1298–1303
Stosiek P, Kasper M, Karsten U (1990) Expression of cytokeratin 19 during human liver organogenesis. Liver 10:59–63
Tsai RJ, Sun T-T, Tseng SCG (1990) Comparison of limbal and conjunctival autograft transplantation in corneal surface reconstruction in rabbits. Ophthalmology 97:446–455
Van Eyken P, Sciot R, Callea F, Van der Steen K, Moerman P, Desmet VJ (1988) The development of the intrahepatic bile ducts in man: a keratin-immunohistochemical study. Hepatology 8:1586–1595
Viebahn C, Lane EB, Ramaekers FCS (1988) Keratin and vimentin expression in early organogenesis of the rabbit embryo. Cell Tissue Res 253:553–562
Wiedenmann B, Franke WW (1985) Identification and loalization of synaptophysin, an integral membrane glycoprotein of Mr 38000 characteristic of presynaptic vesicles. Cell 41:1017–1028
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dedicated to Prof. Dr. H.J. Scharf (Halle, FRG) on the occasion of his 70th birthday
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kasper, M. Heterogeneity in the immunolocalization of cytokeratin specific monoclonal antibodies in the rat eye: evaluation of unusual epithelial tissue entities. Histochemistry 95, 613–620 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00266749
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00266749