Keratin 13 and differentiation from basal cells to columnar cells in rabbit submandibular glands

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The ducts of adult rabbit submandibular glands are lined with pseudostratified columnar epithelium containing columnar and basal cells. We have clarified the localization of seven kinds of keratin (K) expressed in this epithelium (Ogawa et al. 2001 ). Among seven kinds of K, K13 is peculiarly expressed in the basal cells. However, a few columnar cells also contain K13. To examine the nature of the columnar cells containing K13, K13 was detected immunohistochemically in the rabbit submandibular glands of newborn, 3 day, 7 day and 3 month old rabbits. In the duct epithelium of the newborn and 3 day old animals, many basal cells were present and actively differentiated into columnar cells. At this stage, K13 was detected in all the basal cells and three fifths of the columnar cells. In the epithelium of 7 day old rabbits, the number of basal cells decreased, and the cellular composition of the epithelium became similar to that of adult rabbits. At this stage, the number of K13-positive columnar cells decreased and they were detected in a fifth of total columnar cells. These results suggest that the columnar cells containing K13 in adult duct epithelium are immature epithelial cells that have just differentiated from basal cells.
日本組織細胞化学会の論文