Summary
Immunofluorescence-microscopy was applied to study the distribution of desmin, vimentin, and smooth muscle myosin in smooth muscle of human fetal vessels. Serial cryostat sections of the vessels examined all reacted positively with myosin and vimentin antibodies. However, heterogeneous staining of the vessels with desmin antibodies was observed. Thus, 2 types of smooth muscle staining were documented-desmin-negative and desmin-positive. Elastic and muscular arteries of the fetus (aorta, femoral and branchial artery) were desmin-negative while femoral and branchial veins were desmin-positive. In umbilical cord arteries and veins, the distribution of desmin-positive cells was largely localized to the outer layer of media, but not to the inner layer. In placenta, both desmin-positive and desmin-negative vessels were also revealed. Thus, differences in desmin expression by human vascular smooth muscle cells already exists during early stages of ontogeny.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beham A, Denk H, Desoye G (1988) The distribution of intermediate filament proteins, actin and desmoplakins in human placental tissue as revealed by polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. Placenta 9:479–492
Chacko S, Conti MA, Adelstein R (1977) Effect of phosphorylation and smooth muscle myosin on actin activation and calcium regulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 74:129–133
Debus E, Weber K, Osborn M (1983) Monoclonal antibodies to desmin, the muscle-specific intermediate filament protein. EMBO J 2:2305–2312
Frank ED, Warren L (1981) Aortic smooth muscle cells contain vimentin instead of desmin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 78:3020–3024
Gabbiani G, Schmid E, Winter S, Chaponnier C, Chastonay C de, Vandekerckhove J, Weber K, Franke WW (1981) Vascular smooth muscle cell differ from other smooth muscle cells: predominance of vimentin filaments and a specific &-type actin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 78:298–302
Gabbiani G, Kocher O, Bloom WS, Vandekerckhove J, Weber K (1984) Actin expression in smooth muscle cells of rat aortic intimal thickening, human atheromatous plaque, and cultured rat aortic media. J Clin Invest 73:148–152
Kaufmann P, Bruns U, Leiser R, Luckhardt M, Winterhager E (1985) The fetal vascularization of term human placental villi. II. Intermediate and terminal villi. Anat Embyol 173:203–214
Kocher O, Gabbiani G (1986) Cytoskeletal features of normal and atheromatous human arterial smooth muscle cells. Hum Pathol 17:875–880
Laemmli UK (1970) Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227:680–685
Larson DM, Fujiwara K, Alexander RW, Gimbrone MA (1984) Heterogeneity of myosin antigenic expression in vascular smooth muscle in vivo. Lab Invest 50:401–407
Leiser R, Luckhardt M, Kaufmann P, Winterhager E, Bruns U (1985) The fetal vascularization of term human placental villi. I. Peripheral stem villi. Anat Embryol 173:71–80
Muijen GNP van, Ruiter DJ, Warnaar SO (1987) Coexpression of intermediate filament polypeptides in human fetal and adult tissues. Lab Invest 57:359–369
Nikkari ST, Rantala I, Pystynen P, Nikkari T (1988) Characterization of the phenotype of smooth muscle cells in human fetal aorta on the basis of ultrastructure, immunofluorescence, and the composition of cytoskeletal and cytocontractile proteins. Atherosclerosis 74:33–40
Osborn M, Caselitz J, Weber K (1981) Heterogeneity of intermediate filament expression in vascular smooth muscle: a gradient in desmin positive cells from the rat aortic arch to the level of the arteria iliaca communis. Differentiation 20:196–202
Osborn M, Debus E, Weber K (1984) Monoclonal antibodies specific for vimentin. Eur J Cell Biol 34:137–143
Osborn M, Caselitz J, Puschel K, Weber K (1987) Intermediate filament expression in human vascular smooth muscle and in arteriosclerotic plaques. Virchows Arch [A] 411:449–458
Rungger-Brandle E, Gabbiani G (1983) The role of cytoskeletal and cytocontractile elements in pathologic processes. Am J Pathol 110:359–392
Schmid E, Osborn M, Rungger-Brandle E, Gabbiani G, Weber K, Franke WW (1982) Distribution of vimentin and desmin filaments in smooth muscle tissue of mammalian and avian aorta. Exp Cell Res 137:329–340
Sellers J, Pato M, Adelstein R (1981) Reversible phosphorylation of smooth muscle myosin, heavy meromyosin, and platelet myosin. J Biol Chem 256:13137–13142
Simionescu N, Simionescu M (1977) The cardiovascular system. In: Weiss L, Greep RO (eds) Histology, edn 4. McGraw-Hill, New York, pp 373–431
Steinert PM, Jones JCR, Goldman RD (1984) Intermediate filaments. J Cell Biol 99:22s-27s
Sternberger L (1979) Immunocytochemistry. Wiley, New York, Chichester Brisbane
Towbin H, Staehelin T, Gordon J (1979) Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellular sheets: procedure and some applications. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 76:4350–4354
Travo P, Weber K, Osborn M (1982) Co-existence of vimentin and desmin type intermediate filaments in a subpopulation of adult rat vascular smooth muscle cells growing in primary culture. Exp Cell Res 139:87–94
Weber K, Osborn M (1982) Cytoskeleton: definition, structure and gene regulation. Path Res Pract 175:128–145
Yaoita E, Kazama T, Kawasaki K, Miyazaki S, Yamamoto T, Kihara T (1985) In vitro characteristics of rat mesangial cells in comparison with aortic smooth muscle cells and dermal fibroblasts. Virchows Arch [B] 49:285–294
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nanaev, A.K., Shirinsky, V.P. & Birukov, K.G. Immunofluorescent study of heterogeneity in smooth muscle cells of human fetal vessels using antibodies to myosin, desmin, and vimentin. Cell Tissue Res 266, 535–540 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318595
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318595