title: Cytochemical demonstration of actin filaments in myoepithelial cells of the human parotid gland.
abstract: Ultrastructurally, myoepithelial cells were shown to contain numerous fine filaments in their cytoplasm and resembled smooth muscle cells. The myoepithelial cell of the salivary gland has been considered to play an important role in the secretion of saliva. The present study showed that all the thin filaments (actin filaments) in the myoepithelial cell of the human parotid gland bound heavy meromyosin (HMM) and formed characteristic arrowhead structures. These filaments ran in two opposite directions with the poles at different ends. On the other hand, there was no binding of HMM with thicker filaments (10-nm filaments), plasma membrane, nuclear membrane, collagen fibrils, basement membrane or other cytoplasmic organelles. The present results strongly suggest that myoepithelial cells possess a contractile function parallel to the long axis of the cell for supporting the secretion of saliva in the parotid gland.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yaku
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D015879:Myosin Subfragments; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000032:analysis* / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015879:Myosin Subfragments