title: Nestin expression in rat adrenal gland.
abstract: The constituents of the intermediate filament network of adrenal gland cells have not been deeply investigated in vivo. Adrenocortical cells have been reported to express cytokeratins and vimentin, but the intermediate filament components of the adrenomedullary cells are still unknown. Nestin is an intermediate filament protein that is mainly expressed in the developing nervous and muscle systems. It has been reported to be unable to form filaments by itself and it co-assembles with vimentin. Using immunocytochemical and biochemical approaches, the present study demonstrates that nestin is expressed in situ either in the cortex or in the medulla of adult rat adrenal glands. Nestin-negative cells prevalently form the zona glomerulosa whereas the zona fasciculata and the zona reticularis are mainly nestin-immunoreactive. Nestin-positive cells always express vimentin-like immunoreactivity but several cells apparently expressing only vimentin are detectable too. Nestin is also expressed by adrenomedullary cells that also display a faint vimentin-like immunoreactivity. We hypothesise that the inconstant detection of nestin in adrenocortical cells depends on their different functional moments. Moreover, even though our data do not allow to confirm vimentin in adrenomedullary cells, in situ detection of nestin in the adrenal medulla indirectly supports in vivo expression of vimentin in chromaffin cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertelli
authors.forename: Marì
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Regoli
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucattelli
authors.forename: Arnaldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bastianini
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fonzi
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064231:Nestin; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C577486:Nes protein, rat; D064231:Nestin