Abstract
Plasminogen activators (PAs) proteolytically convert plasminogen to plasmin, which, in turn, can degrade most proteins. This system has been implicated in a variety of biological processes. Using immunocytochemical methods, we here describe the localization of tissue-type PA (t-PA) in rat somatostatin cells. In the pancreatic islets, a low number of strongly t-PA-immunoreactive cells was found. By sequential staining, we found these cells to constitute a subpopulation of the somatostatin cells. Biochemical analysis of extracts from isolated rat islets demonstrated the presence of t-PA, and immunoblotting analysis demonstrated one band with a similar electrophoretic mobility. No urokinase-type PA immunoreactivity was found in the rat endocrine pancreas. A granular t-PA immunoreactivity resembling that found in adjacent sections with somatostatin antiserum was found in the median eminence of the hypothalamus. No t-PA immunoreactivity could be detected in somatostatin cells of the gastric and intestinal mucosa.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Endocrinology |
| Volume | 121 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Pages (from-to) | 2238-44 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| ISSN | 0013-7227 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 1987 |
Keywords
- Animals
- Hypothalamus
- Immunoenzyme Techniques
- Islets of Langerhans
- Male
- Median Eminence
- Molecular Weight
- Rats
- Rats, Inbred Strains
- Somatostatin
- Tissue Plasminogen Activator