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Cholecystokinin A and B receptor mRNA expression in human pancreas
I Nishimori1, M Kamakura, K Fujikawa-Adachi
1First Department of Internal Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Japan. nisao@kochi-ms.ac.jp
Insights
Both cholecystokinin-A (CCK-A) and cholecystokinin-B (CCK-B) receptors are expressed in the developing human pancreas. Adult pancreas shows predominant CCK-B receptor expression, with CCK-A receptor expression also present.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Limited data exists on cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor expression in the human pancreas, particularly during development.
- CCK receptors play roles in various physiological processes, including pancreatic function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression patterns of CCK-A and CCK-B receptors in the human pancreas across different developmental stages.
- To compare receptor expression in fetal, infant, and adult pancreatic tissues.
Main Methods:
- Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blot analysis were used to detect CCK receptor mRNA in fetal, infant, and adult pancreas.
- Northern blot analysis and cDNA sequencing were employed for further characterization in adult pancreas.
Main Results:
- CCK-A and CCK-B receptor mRNA were detected in the fetal and infant pancreas.
- Adult pancreas exhibited strong CCK-B receptor mRNA expression via Northern blot.
- RT-PCR/Southern blot confirmed CCK-A receptor mRNA presence in adult pancreas, corroborated by cDNA sequencing.
Conclusions:
- Both CCK receptor types are expressed in the human pancreas during early gestation.
- The adult human pancreas demonstrates a predominant expression of the CCK-B receptor.
Abstract:
Little information is available on the expression of cholecystokinin (CCK) receptors in the human pancreas, especially in the developing pancreas. We evaluated expression patterns for the CCK receptors in human pancreas at three different ages: fetus, infant, and adult. Expressions of CCK-A and CCK-B receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) were studied in human midtrimester fetus (14-15 weeks' gestation), infant (50 days old), and adult pancreas by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by Southern blot analysis. Expression levels of mRNA for both receptors also were evaluated by Northern blot analysis of adult pancreas. Northern blot analysis showed a strong signal for CCK-B receptor mRNA in adult pancreas, but no detectable signal for CCK-A receptor mRNA. However, RT-PCR/Southern blotting showed the presence of CCK-A receptor mRNA in adult pancreas. This was confirmed by sequencing of the complementary DNA (cDNA). RT-PCR/Southern blot analysis also showed CCK-A and CCK-B receptor mRNA expression in fetal and infant pancreas. These results show that the both CCK receptor types are expressed in human pancreas at stages of early gestation, but there is predominant expression of CCK-B receptor in adult pancreas.