[Expressions of microtubule-associated protein 2 and nestin in the development of human embryo and fetal tongue muscles].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the role of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) and nestin in the development of tongue muscles of human embryos and fetuses.


METHODS
PV immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of MAP-2 and nestin proteins in the tongue tissues of human embryos and fetuses at the second, third and fourth months of gestation.


RESULTS
MAP-2 and nestin positivity was detected in the tongue muscles of human embryos at 2 to 4 months of gestation. In the embryos at the second month of gestation, no obvious MAP-2 positive cells were found in the tongue muscles; at 3 and 4 months, the number of MAP-2-positive cells in the tongue muscles was 24.14∓8.28 and 15.86∓3.89, with the expression intensity of 109.42∓11.62 and 124.27∓8.73, respectively. At 2, 3 and 4 months of gestation, the number of nestin-positive cells in the tongue muscles was 12.50∓3.17, 19.00∓7.63, and 22.80∓6.91, with expression intensity of 119.99∓24.02, 102.20∓11.76, and 98.24∓10.66, respectively. As the gestational age increased, the number of MAP-2-positive cell number continued to decline following a transient increase but the expression intensity kept increasing; nestin-positive cells increased continuously but the expression intensity kept decreasing in the embryonic or fetal tongue muscles.


CONCLUSIONS
MAP-2 and nestin proteins are involved in the regulation of the development of tongue muscles in human embryos and fetuses.
Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical College of Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China. lxh6588 @yahoo.com.cn
Xuehong
X
Liu
Yong
Y
Zhang
D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D064231:Nestin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014059:Tongue / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
C489788:MAP2 protein, human; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C577484:NES protein, human; D064231:Nestin