Ultrastructural localization of alpha E-catenin in the rat sciatic nerve.
Alpha E-catenin is included in the same category as alpha N-catenin, and both of them have been identified as subtypes of alpha-catenin. A previous study issued from our laboratory demonstrated that alpha N-catenin is localized in the axoplasm of unmyelinated peripheral nerves, whereas the localization of alpha E-catenin in the peripheral nervous system has not yet been reported. The present study was focused on the distribution of alpha E-catenin in the rat sciatic nerve. By electron microscopy using immunocytochemical methods, alpha E-catenin immunoreactivities were generally detected in the Schwann cell cytoplasm of unmyelinated nerve and the outer loop of myelinated nerve. Those findings suggest that alpha E-catenin may be associated with Schwann cell-Schwann cell or axon-Schwann cell contacts.
Murata
Maho
M
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. mah.murata@hosp.kobe-u.ac.jp
Shibuya
Yasuyuki
Y
Munemoto
Sachiko
S
Takeuchi
Junichiro
J
Kobayashi
Masaki
M
Suzuki
Hiroaki
H
Komori
Takahide
T
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051178:alpha Catenin / Q000032:analysis*
D051178:alpha Catenin