Musashi1 expression in Paneth cells of the human small intestine

概要

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Paneth cells have been considered to play an important role in microbial defense or crypt maintenance in the small intestine. The physiologic significance of the Paneth cells, however, still remains controversial, because the species difference is marked; cats and dogs do not have Paneth cells. We made rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against human Musashi1 (Msi1), a neural stem cell marker, and carried out immunohistochemical examinations for Msi1 in the human adult small intestine. Surgically resected intestinal tissues were fixed in buffered 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded in paraffin, then 4 μm- thick sections were made. Immunostaining was performed on the sections without prior antigen retrieval. Strong Msi1-immunopositivity was detected in a small number of Paneth cell nuclei and/or cytoplasm harboring small- to medium-sized granules; the frequency ofthe Msi1-positive Paneth cells was one in every 20 intestinal crypts. Provided that a single crypt contains 20 Paneth cells and the Paneth cell life-span is 15 to 20 days, Msi1 was assumed to be expressed for 1 to 1.5 hr in young to mature Paneth cells, and may play a role in signal transduction. These observations may suggest physiologic significance of Paneth cells.
日本組織細胞化学会の論文