Differential Localization of Brain-Type and Epidermal-Type Fatty Acid Binding Proteins in the Adrenal Gland of Mice

Abstract

In immuno-light and -electron microscopy, brain-type fatty acid binding protein (B-FABP) is localized in the sustentacular cells enclosing the chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla. This represents another new feature commonly shared by the sustentacular cells and ganglionic satellite cells, the latter of which has already been reported to localize this molecule, and suggests a common feature in lipid metabolism shared by the two cells enclosing peripheral neurons and paraneurons. On the other hand, epidermal-type fatty acid binding protein (E-FABP) is localized in two discrete cells in the adrenal gland: the one is a subpopulation of intra-adrenal macrophages which are intensely immunoreactive for F4/80, a marker of macrophages, and are rich in pleomorphic lysosomes. Because of their direct apposition to adjacent cortical endocrine cells and medullary chromaffin cells, the macrophages may be involved not only in phagocytosis of degenerating adrenal cells but also in exertion of some yet unknown effects on the endocrine function of the cortical and medullary cells via humoral factors such as cytokines which have recently been known to be secreted by macrophages. The other is a population of cells having scanty perikaryal cytoplasm poor in organneles and several thinny extended processes in the cortex and exhibiting weak immunoreactivity for E-FABP. The possible natures of these cells immunoreactive for E-FABP are discussed in view of a subpopulation of endothelial cells or the dendritic cells of antigen-presenting property.B-FABP; E-FABP; sustentacular cells; adrenal gland; immunohistochemistry

Modulation of Cutaneous Fatty Acid-binding Protein mRNA Expression in Rat Adipose Tissues by Hereditary Obesity and Dietary Fats

“…However, its mRNA was later found to be expressed in various tissues including adipose tissue 5,8,9,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] . Krieg et al 5) examined levels of C-FABP mRNA in mouse tissues, and found that the mRNA was most abundant in stratified epithelia of the epidermis and tongue.…”

Immunohistochemical analysis of sustentacular cells in the adrenal medulla, carotid body and sympathetic ganglion of mice using an antibody against brain‐type fatty acid binding protein (B‐FABP)

“…With this consideration, together with recent increasing attention paid to the functional significance of glial cells in the neural function (Fields & Stevens-Graham, 2002;Miller, 2005), the present study attempted to reveal the detailed entire morphology of the sustentacular cells in the adrenal gland of adult and newborn mice in comparison with those cells in the adult carotid body and sympathetic ganglion by immunohistochemistry at the light microscopic level using the antibody for brain-type-fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP), which has already been shown to be a specific marker for the sustentacular cells as well as the other associated cells of glial nature (Yun et al 2004;Owada et al 2006). Special attention was paid to the morphological feature of the sustentacular cellular envelopes themselves.…”

Immunohistochemical study of sustentacular cells in adrenal medulla of neonatal and adult rats using an antibody against S-100 protein

“…It has been suggested that adrenal medullary sustentacular cells are modified Schwann cells, because these cells express immunoreactivity for S-100 [3]. In general, S-100 protein has already been shown to be a specific marker of adrenal medullary sustentacular cells as well as the other associated cells of glial nature [9,15,24].…”