Cellular localization of IL-18 and IL-18 receptor in pig anterior pituitary gland
- 作者：Yasuhiro Nagai ; Kouichi Watanabe ; Hisashi Aso ; Shyuichi Ohwada ; Yoshihiro Muneta and Takahiro Yamaguchi
- 关键词：Interleukin-18 ; Interleukin-18R ; Pig anterior pituitary gland ; Immuno-endocrine signalling ; Paracrine
- 刊名：Domestic Animal Endocrinology
- 出版年：2006
- 期刊代码：36_07397240
- 类别：abs
- 出版时间：February 2006
- 卷：30
- 期：2
- 页码：144-154
- 文件大小：538 K
摘要
Pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 18 (IL-18) has been proposed to have a role in modulating immuno-endocrine functions. Our previous study showed that IL-18 and IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) colocalized in somatotrophs of the bovine anterior pituitary gland, and the possibility that IL-18 acts on somatotrophs as an autocrine factor. In the present study, we investigated the localization of IL-18 and IL-18R in the pig anterior pituitary gland. RT-PCR analysis showed the expression of IL-18 and IL-18R mRNAin the pig anterior pituitary gland. Immunohistochemistry of IL-18 and specific hormones revealed the presence of IL-18 in somatotrophs, mammotrophs, thyrotrophs and gonadotrophs. IL-18R was localized in somatotrophs and thyrotrophs. Furthermore, the somatotrophs immunoreactive for IL-18 did not contain IL-18R. Thus, IL-18R and IL-18 were not colocalized in an identical somatotroph. These findings suggest that the localization of IL-18 in pig somatotrophs is different from that in bovine somatotrophs, although IL-18 closely associates with somatotrophs in the anterior pituitary glands in both species.