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Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, Vol. 48, 943-954, July 2000, Copyright © 2000, The Histochemical Society, Inc.

ARTICLE

Immunohistochemical Localization of Histamine N-Methyltransferase in Guinea Pig Tissues

Akihito Taharaa, Masahiro Nishiboria, Aiji Ohtsukab, Ken Sawadaa, Junko Sakiyamac, and Kiyomi Saekia
a Departments of Pharmacology, Okayama University Medical School, Okayama, Japan
b Anatomy, Okayama University Medical School, Okayama, Japan
c School of Health Sciences, Okayama University Medical School, Okayama, Japan

Correspondence to: Masahiro Nishibori, Dept. of Pharmacology, Okayama University Medical School, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558, Japan. E-mail: mbori@med.okayama-u.ac.jp

Histamine plays important roles in gastric acid secretion, inflammation, and allergic response. Histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT; EC 2.1.1.8) is crucial to the inactivation of histamine in tissues. In this study we investigated the immunohistochemical localization of this enzyme in guinea pig tissues using a rabbit polyclonal antibody against bovine HMT. The specificity of the antibody for guinea pig HMT was confirmed by Western blotting and the lack of any staining using antiserum preabsorbed with purified HMT. There was strong HMT-like immunoreactivity (HMT-LI) in the epithelial cells in the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the gastric body, duodenum, and jejunum. The columnar epithelium in the gallbladder was also strongly positive. Almost all the myenteric plexus from the stomach to the colon was stained whereas the submucous plexus was not. Other strongly immunoreactive cells included the ciliated cells in the trachea and the transitional epithelium of the bladder. Intermediately immunoreactive cells included islets of Langerhans, epidermal cells of the skin, alveolar cells in the lung, urinary tubules in the kidney, and epithelium of semiferous tubules. HMT-LI was present in specific structures in the guinea pig tissues. The widespread distribution of HMT-LI suggests that histamine has several roles in different tissues. (J Histochem Cytochem 48:943–954, 2000)

Key Words: histamine N-methyltransferase, histamine, gastrointestinal tract, epithelium, ciliated cell, gallbladder, islet of Langerhans, guinea pig


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