Immunohistochemical localization of taurine in various tissues of the mouse

Abstract

The localization of taurine was investigated in several tissues of the mouse. Immunohistochemical methods using a polyclonal antibody for taurine derived from rabbits was used in these studies. This method was used since it is a simple procedure and the results are clear and reliable. Tissues were fixed with paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin and treated in a microwave oven before using an avidin-biotin-complex method (ABC method). Control staining was accomplished by employing absorption staining using various amino acids: taurine, arginine, cysteine, hypotaurine and others. For purposes of comparison, radioautography (RAG) with 3H-taurine was performed to confirm the reliability of the immunohistochemical staining compared with the localization of the 3H-taurine incorporation in endothelial cells of the blood vessels of several tissues. In this investigation, immunoreactivity was broadly observed in many tissues: Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, glia cells of brain tissue, cardiac muscle cells, matrices of the bone, mucus granules of goblet cells of the intestines, and brown adipose cells of the fetus. Although the meaning of this widespread localization of taurine can not be explained completely, we surmise that taurine may have a different function in each of the tissues. In addition, taurine reactivity was observed in cell nuclei which was evidence of the presence of taurine in the nuclei.

Attenuation of Oxidative Damage to Dna by Tairome and Taurine Analogs

“…A recent study has also suggested that taurine modulates calcium levels within the nucleus 9 . This is consistent with immunoreactive taurine being localised to the nucleus 10 and evidence that taurine may regulate histone H2B phosphoralyation 11 . Taken together, the evidence suggests that taurine may play a previously unappreciated role in regulating nuclear function.…”

Taurine inhibits serum deprivation-induced osteoblast apoptosis via the taurine transporter/ERK signaling pathway

“…In the present study, taurine suppressed serum deprivation-induced apoptosis of MC3T3-E1 cells, indicating an anti-apoptotic role of taurine in addition to its mitogenic and osteogenic effects on osteoblasts. Taurine content in bone is similar to that in liver or kidney (2 to 11 mM/kg tissue) (3,4,29). Thus, the effects of taurine on the suppression of osteoblast apoptosis were physiologically relevant in the present experiments.…”

“…Studies have indicated that bone tissue contains high concentrations of taurine (3,4), which emerges as an element in the regulation of bone metabolism (5)(6)(7)(8)(9). Taurine supplementation prevented bone loss in ovariectomized rats (8,9).…”

Visualising the activity of the cystine‐glutamate antiporter in glial cells using antibodies to aminoadipic acid, a selectively transported substrate

“…This observation is of interest, as much taurine in the brain appears, in immunocytochemical and functional studies, to be present predominantly in astroglial cells and radial glial cells (Madsen et al, 1990;Pow, 1993;Terauchi et al, 1998).…”