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Published on: July 31, 2017
Analyses of expression of cytoglobin by immunohistochemical studies in human tissues
Akio Shigematsu1, Yasushi Adachi, Junko Matsubara
1First Department of Pathology, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi City, Osaka, Japan.
Insights
Cytoglobin (Cygb) is found in human epithelial cells, liver, pancreas, heart, and skeletal muscle. This study clarifies the tissue distribution of Cygb, suggesting its potential roles in these organs.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Histology
Background:
- Cytoglobin (Cygb) is a vertebrate globin family member, related to hemoglobin (Hb), myoglobin (Mb), and neuroglobin (Ngb).
- Previous reports indicate ubiquitous mRNA or protein expression of Cygb, but detailed tissue distribution remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the precise distribution of Cytoglobin (Cygb) across various human tissues.
- To provide insights into the potential functions of Cygb based on its cellular localization.
Main Methods:
- Development of a specific rabbit anti-human Cygb polyclonal antibody.
- Immunohistochemical staining of a tissue array containing 60 normal tissues from 40 human organs.
- Confirmation of staining patterns using autopsy samples.
Main Results:
- Cytoglobin (Cygb) staining was predominantly observed in epithelial cells, hepatocytes, pancreatic acinar cells, cardiomyocytes, and skeletal muscle.
- Cygb was rarely detected in interstitial tissues and consistently negative in smooth muscle.
- Localization was primarily cytoplasmic, with some nuclear positivity in hepatocytes.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully mapped the tissue distribution of Cytoglobin (Cygb) in humans.
- The identified distribution patterns suggest specific roles for Cygb in epithelial and muscle tissues, as well as the liver and pancreas.
- Further research is warranted to fully understand the functional implications of Cygb's varied cellular localization.
Abstract:
Cytoglobin (Cygb) is a recently discovered member of the vertebrate globin family, which includes probably most extensively studied proteins, hemoglobin (Hb), myoglobin (Mb) and neuroglobin (Ngb). It has been reported that Cygb is expressed ubiquitously at the mRNA or protein level. However, details of the distribution of Cygb in the various tissues have hitherto been unclear. In this experiment, we clarified the distribution of Cygb in various human tissues by immunohistochemical staining. First, we prepared a rabbit anti human Cygb polyclonal antibody. Using the antibody, we stained a tissue array slide containing 60 normal tissues from 40 human organs. We confirmed the staining patterns of the antibodies in these various tissues using autopsy samples from our university. In general, Cygb is positive in the epithelial cells, hepatocytes, pancreatic acinar cells, cardiomyocytes and skeletal muscle but rarely so in cells in the interstitial tissues. Cytoglobin is usually positive in the cytoplasm, but is also positive in the nucleus in some hepatocytes. In contrast, Cygb is negative in the smooth muscle. The distribution of Cygb could suggest its roles.
