Laminin N-terminus ?31 protein distribution in adult human tissues.

ABSTRACT: Laminin N-terminus ?31 (LaNt ?31) is a netrin-like protein derived from alternative splicing of the laminin ?3 gene. Although LaNt ?31 has been demonstrated to influence corneal and skin epithelial cell function, its expression has not been investigated beyond these tissues. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry to characterise the distribution of this protein in a wide-array of human tissue sections in comparison to laminin ?3. The data revealed widespread LaNt ?31 expression. In epithelial tissue, LaNt ?31 was present in the basal layer of the epidermis, throughout the epithelium of the digestive tract, and in much of the epithelium of the reproductive system. LaNt ?31 was also found throughout the vasculature of most tissues, with enrichment in reticular-like fibres in the extracellular matrix surrounding large vessels. A similar matrix pattern was observed around the terminal ducts in the breast and around the alveolar epithelium in the lung, where basement membrane staining was also evident. Specific enrichment of LaNt ?31 was identified in sub-populations of cells of the kidney, liver, pancreas, and spleen, with variations in intensity between different cell types in the collecting ducts and glomeruli of the kidney. Intriguingly, LaNt ?31 immunoreactivity was also evident in neurons of the central nervous system, in the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and spinal cord. Together these findings suggest that LaNt ?31 may be functionally relevant in a wider range of tissue contexts than previously anticipated, and the data provides a valuable basis for investigation into this interesting protein.

SUBMITTER: Troughton LD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7710073 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature