title: [Expressions of microtubule-associated protein 2 and nestin in the development of human embryo and fetal tongue muscles].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical College of Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000, China.E-mail: lxh6588 @yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Xue-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000196:embryology*; D064231:Nestin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014059:Tongue / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: C489788:MAP2 protein, human; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C577484:NES protein, human; D064231:Nestin