Epidermal growth factor and renin in mouse submandibular glands

Epon sections of the submandibular gland of SWF/J male mouse were stained immunocytochemically for epidermal growth factor (EGF) and renin. Most cells of the granular convoluted tubules (GCT) contained both EGF and renin. However, examinations of adjacent semithin or thin sections stained for EGF and renin, respectively, revealed a small population of GCT cells that contained EGF but no renin. Within a cell all secretory granules contained both EGF and renin. The renin-negative/EGF-positive cells may represent a subpopulation of tubular cells that do not express, or carry, the renin gene.