A novel polyclonal antibody (CL-B1/29) for immunolocalization of transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGF-beta 2) in...

A polyclonal antibody (CL-B1/29) raised against a synthetic peptide with an amino acid sequence identical to the first 29 N-terminal residues of bovine bone-derived transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGF-beta 2) was characterized and used for immunolocalization of TGF-beta 2 in adult mice. Reduced staining of immunoblots and tissue after absorption of the antiserum with the immunizing peptide or with TGF-beta 2 but not with purified TGF-beta 1 demonstrated that the reagent is specific for TGF-beta 2, with little or no crossreactivity with TGF-beta 1. The immunolocalization of TGF-beta 2 was investigated in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cultured cells and murine tissue. Specimens pre-digested with testicular hyaluronidase demonstrated immunostaining predominantly of extracellular connective tissue matrix, whereas specimens pre-digested with pronase E demonstrated primarily cytoplasmic staining. Immunoreactivity was widely distributed in connective tissue, muscle, adsorptive and secretory epithelia, especially of endocrine tissue, and neural tissue of adult mice.