title: Dynamic expression of the cell adhesion molecule cell-CAM 105 in fetal and regenerating rat liver.
abstract: Cell-CAM 105 is an integral cell surface glycoprotein that is involved in cell-cell adhesion of adult rat hepatocytes in vitro. In the present report we used a radio-immunoassay, a quantitative immunoblotting technique and immunofluorescence microscopy to investigate the expression of cell-CAM 105 in fetal and regenerating rat liver. In the fetal liver cell-CAM 105 did not appear until day 16 of the gestation, when it increased rapidly to reach the level found in adult liver, 3 weeks after birth. In liver regenerating after partial hepatectomy a transient decrease in the amount of cell-CAM 105 was observed in the plasma membranes of the hepatocytes. A significant decrease was observed as early as 12 h after partial hepatectomy, reaching a minimum by 3 days after the operation, corresponding to approx. 35% of the amount of cell-CAM 105 in normal liver. The amount then increased slowly and was back to the normal level by about 15 days after partial hepatectomy. The results indicate that cell-CAM 105 exerts its major function in terminally differentiated cells. An excellent correlation was seen between the kinetics of the expression of cell-CAM 105 and of reported changes of both enzymatic and organizational patterns of hepatocytes in regenerating and fetal liver. This suggests that cell-CAM 105 could be important for the development and maintenance of the cell-cell binding and organizational pattern characteristic of terminally differentiated hepatocytes.
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008099:Liver / Q000032:analysis* / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; C069847:CD66 antigens; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases