Summary
In the present report we analyzed the presence and distribution of various basement membrane (BM) proteins in normal blood and lymph vessels with special emphasis on BM-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) when compared to the BM-components collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin. We found that normal lymph capillaries have a BM that contains only collagen IV and small amounts of laminin, but almost no BM-associated HSPG and fibronectin, while blood capillaries showed a BM comprising of all components tested for. Larger lymphatics, however, were indistinguishable from blood vessels on the basis of BM staining. Lymphangiomas showed a BM pattern similar to that of lymph capillaries. Our findings provide evidence that the differential staining of BM-components may represent a reliable method for morphological distinction between blood and lymph capillaries. A comparison of these results with the BM-pattern in other functionally specialized blood vessels (glomerulus, sinusoids) provides evidence that the BM-composition may have some major impact on the functional properties. Thus, it is conceivable that the lack of HSPG in lymph capillaries may be essential for a free influx of fluid and proteins into these capillaries, which may have been extravasated into the interstitium.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Autio-Harmainen H, Karttunen T, Apaja-Sarkkinen M, Dammert K, Risteli L (1988) Laminin and type IV collagen in different histological stages of Kaposi's sarcoma and other vascular lesions of blood and lymphatic vessel origin. Am J Surg Pathol 12:469–476
Barsky SH, Baker A, Siegal GP, Togo S, Liotta LA (1983) Use of anti-basement membrane antibodies to distinguish blood vessel capillaries from lymphatic capillaries. Am J Surg Pathol 7:667–677
Barsky SH, Rao NC, Restrepo C, Liotta LA (1984) Immunocytochemical enhancement of basement membrane antigens by pepsin: application in diagnostic pathology. Am J Clin Pathol 82:191–194
Daroczy H (1988) The dermal lymphatic capillaries. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Farquhar GM, Courtoy PJ, Lemkin MC, Kanwar YS (1982) Current knowledge of the functional architecture of the glomerular basement membrane. In: Kühn K, Schöne HH, Timpl R (eds) New trends in basement membrane research. Raven Press, New York
Gallagher JT, Lyou M (1989) Molecular organisation and function of heparan sulfate. In: Lane DA, Lindahl U (eds) Heparin. Arnold, London Melbourne Auckland
Hsu SM, Raine L, Fanger H (1981) A comparative study on the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method and an avidin-biotin complex for studying polypeptide hormones with radioimmunoassay antibodies. Am J Clin Pathol 75:734–739
Kato S (1990) Enzyme-histochemical identification of lymphatic vessels by light and backscattered image scanning electron microscopy. Stain Tech 65:131–137
Martinez-Hernandez A (1984) The hepatic extracellular matrix. I. Electron immunohistochemical studies in normal rat liver. Lab Invest 51:57–63
Morck Hultberg B, Svanholm H (1989) Immunohistochemical differentiation between lymphangiographically verified lymphatic vessels and blood vessels. Virchows Arch [A] 414:209–215
Nerlich A, Zietz Ch, Schleicher E (1991) Distribution of basement-membrane associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan in idiopathic and AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Pathol Res Pract 187:444–450
Olgemöller B, Schleicher E, Nerlich A, Wagner E, Gerbitz KD (1989) Isolation, characterization and immunological determination of basement membrane associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan. Biol Chem Hoppe-Seyler 370:1321–1329
Schleicher E, Nerlich A, Gerbitz KD (1988) Pathobiochemical aspects of diabetic nephropathy. Klin Wochenschr 66:873–882
Schleicher E, Wagner EM, Olgemöller B, Nerlich A, Gerbitz KD (1989) Characterization and localization of basement membrane associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan in human tissues. Lab Invest 61:323–332
Verbeke C, Buyssens N (1990) Intrahepatic lymphatics in the human fetus. Lymphology 23:36–38
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nerlich, A.G., Schleicher, E. Identification of lymph and blood capillaries by immunohistochemical staining for various basement membrane components. Histochemistry 96, 449–453 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00316003
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00316003