AJP - Renal Physiology, Vol 271, Issue 3 709-F716, Copyright © 1996 by American Physiological Society
Expression and cellular localization of tissue kallikrein-kinin system in human adrenal gland
D. Z. Wang, Q. Song, L. M. Chen, L. Chao and J. Chao
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
The tissue kallikrein-kinin system has been implicated in regulating blood
pressure and electrolyte homeostasis. To understand the function of this
system, we identified the expression and cellular localization of its
components including tissue kallikrein, kallistatin, kininogen, and
bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors in human adrenal gland. Reverse
transcription-polymerase chain reaction followed by Southern blot analysis
showed that these five components of this system were all expressed in
human adrenal gland. In situ hybridization histochemistry with respective
digoxigenin-labeled antisense riboprobes revealed localization of
kallikrein transcript throughout the adrenal cortex and medulla except the
zona glomerulosa, whereas kallistatin mRNA was only localized in the zona
fasciculata. Low-molecular-weight kininogen and B2 receptor mRNAs were
colocalized in the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata and also in the
zona reticularis and chromaffin cells but to a lesser degree. The B1
receptor mRNA was stained in the zona fasciculata and medulla. These
results show the expression and differential colocalization of the
components of the tissue kallikrein-kinin system and reveal the potential
action sites of this system in the adrenal gland.
