Immunolocalization of a Novel Collectin CL-K1 in Murine Tissues

• Published in: The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 243 - 252
• Main Authors: Motomura, Wataru, Yoshizaki, Takayuki, Ohtani, Katsuki, Okumura, Toshikatsu, Fukuda, Mituko, Fukuzawa, Jun, Mori, Kenichiro, Jang, Seong-Jae, Nomura, Naoki, Yoshida, Itsuro, Suzuki, Yasuhiko, Kohgo, Yutaka, Wakamiya, Nobutaka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Histochemical Soc 01-03-2008; SAGE Publications; Histochemical Society
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; CHO Cells; Collectins - genetics; Collectins - immunology; Collectins - metabolism; Cricetinae; Cricetulus; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Organ Specificity; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rabbits; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; mouse; Colec11; somatostatin; CL-K1; Paneth cells; collectin; mannin-binding lectin
• ISSN: 0022-1554; 1551-5044
• DOI: 10.1369/jhc.7A7312.2007

We have recently identified a novel collectin, CL-K1, that may play a role in innate immunity as a member of the collectin family. In this study using mice, we investigated the tissue distribution of CL-K1 for better understanding of its pathophysiological relevance. Real-time PCR analyses demonstrated that CL-K1 mRNA was expressed in all tissues tested. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that CL-K1 was expressed in proximal tubules of kidney, in mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, and in bronchial glands of bronchioles similar to the localization of SP-A and SP-D in these pulmonary structures. Immunohistochemistry also showed that CL-K1 was highly expressed in hepatocytes around the central veins in liver, which suggests that murine CL-K1 may be mainly produced in the liver and secreted into the blood stream as is human CL-K1. CL-K1 was especially detected in vascular smooth muscle in several types of tissues. In addition, it was also expressed in intestinal Paneth cells, in mesangial cells of kidney, in pancreatic islet D cells, and in neurons of the brain. It is of interest that this profile of CL-K1 expression is unique among the collectins. Together these histological findings may be useful for understanding the biological function of this novel collectin.