Immunocytochemical analysis of the cytoskeleton of the human amniotic epithelium

The amniotic epithelium constitutes a diffusion barrier controlling the passage of solutes and water between the amniotic cavity and maternal circulation. With the present immunocytochemical approach, we have shown that several major components of the cyto-skeleton, i.e., actin, alpha-actinin, spectrin and ezrin, are preferentially associated with the apical and lateral cell surfaces of the human amniotic epithelium. Keratins are distributed throughout the entire cytoplasm, whereas vimentin mainly forms a perinuclear scaffold. These findings indicate a role of the various components of the cytoskeleton in the structural integrity and modulation of cell shape and junctional permeability.