title: Tight junction proteins in gallbladder epithelium: different expression in acute acalculous and calculous cholecystitis.
abstract: There is a paucity of information of tight junction (TJ) proteins in gallbladder epithelium, and disturbances in the structure of these proteins may play a role in the pathogenesis of acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) and acute calculous cholecystitis (ACC). Using immunohistochemistry, we investigated the expression of TJ proteins claudin-1, -2, -3, and -4, occludin, zonula occludens (ZO-1), and E-cadherin in 9 normal gallbladders, 30 gallbladders with AAC, and 21 gallbladders with ACC. The number of positive epithelial and endothelial cells and the intensity of the immunoreaction were determined. Membrane-bound and cytoplasmic immunoreactivities were separately assessed. We found that TJ proteins were uniformly expressed in normal gallbladder epithelium, with the exception of claudin-2, which was present in less than half of the cells. In AAC, expression of cytoplasmic occludin and claudin-1 were decreased, as compared with normal gallbladder. In ACC, expression of claudin-2 was increased, and expression of claudin-1, -3, and -4, occludin, and ZO-1 were decreased, as compared with normal gallbladder or AAC. We conclude that there are significant differences in expression of TJ proteins in AAC and ACC, supporting the idea that AAC represents a manifestation of systemic inflammatory disease, whereas ACC is a local inflammatory and often infectious disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 21, Oulu, Finland, 90029. jouko.laurila@pp.fimnet.fi
authors.forename: Jouko J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Laurila
authors.forename: Tuomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karttunen
authors.forename: Vesa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Koivukangas
authors.forename: Päivi A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Laurila
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Syrjälä
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saarnio
authors.forename: Ylermi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Soini
authors.forename: Tero I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Ala-Kokko
mesh_terms: D042101:Acalculous Cholecystitis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000208:Acute Disease; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D041881:Cholecystitis, Acute / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D062445:Claudin-1; D062465:Claudin-3; D062506:Claudin-4; D057167:Claudins; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D062793:Occludin; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein
chemical_list: C568108:CLDN1 protein, human; C491875:CLDN2 protein, human; C568122:CLDN3 protein, human; C568157:CLDN4 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D062445:Claudin-1; D062465:Claudin-3; D062506:Claudin-4; D057167:Claudins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C568985:OCLN protein, human; D062793:Occludin; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C569042:TJP1 protein, human; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein