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Localization of ornithine decarboxylase in the chick embryo during organogenesis

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Summary

The localization of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a key enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis and thus in cell growth, was determined in the 4.5-day-old chick embryo, using two independent methods of analysis. ODC protein was identified by indirect immunofluorescence with a monospecific ODC antibody, and catalytically active ODC was identified by autoradiography with α-(5-3H) difluoromethylornithine. Both methods revealed a basically similar distribution of ODC within the embryo. Among the organs, the brain exhibited the highest ODC levels. ODC levels were also high in spinal cord, mesonephric tubules and heart. Similar levels, but confined to limited areas, were found in liver tissue, head mesenchyme, and the oral and pharyngeal regions. Organs that exhibited high ODC levels are all engaged in rapid growth, as well as in extensive tissue remodeling and differentiation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoophysiology, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden

    Bertil Löwkvist, Hadar Emanuelsson, Anders Lundquist &  Olle Heby

  2. Department Physiology and Biophysics, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden

    Lo Persson

  3. Department Histology, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden

    Frank Sundler

Authors
  1. Bertil Löwkvist
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  2. Hadar Emanuelsson
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  3. Lo Persson
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  4. Frank Sundler
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  5. Anders Lundquist
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  6. Olle Heby
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Löwkvist, B., Emanuelsson, H., Persson, L. et al. Localization of ornithine decarboxylase in the chick embryo during organogenesis. Cell Tissue Res. 247, 75–84 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00216549

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00216549

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