title: Tissue distribution of placental leucine aminopeptidase/oxytocinase during mouse pregnancy.
abstract: Placental leucine aminopeptidase (P-LAP), also called oxytocinase, is an enzyme responsible for hydrolyzing oxytocin. This enzyme is identical to cystine aminopeptidase. We examined the tissue distribution of P-LAP in normal adult mice and also in mothers and fetuses during mouse pregnancy using immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. P-LAP-immunoreactive protein was expressed in various organs in a cell- and gestational stage-dependent manner. In the kidney, P-LAP was located in distal and collecting tubules but not in proximal tubules. The islet of Langerhans in the maternal pancreas stained positively for P-LAP in the periphery in early gestation. This staining pattern changed so that both the periphery and inner cells were positive during mid-gestation and finally only inner cells were positive in late gestation. Among the hematopoietic cells in the fetal liver, only megakaryocytes showed strong expression of P-LAP. The staining intensity increased with gestation on the apical surface of trophoblasts in the placental labyrinth. These data demonstrate that P-LAP is present in a variety of tissues, and its presence is affected by pregnancy and fetal development. Therefore, P-LAP may play a significant role in various physiological processes in non-pregnant, pregnant, and fetal mice.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Honami
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitsui
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuno
authors.forename: Yasumasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kadomatsu
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: Shigehiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizutani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D010122:Cystinyl Aminopeptidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000201:enzymology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007931:Leucyl Aminopeptidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009035:Mothers; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007931:Leucyl Aminopeptidase; D010122:Cystinyl Aminopeptidase; C105964:leucyl-cystinyl aminopeptidase