Carbonic anhydrase histochemistry: evidence for non-enzymatic reaction and artifact production

Immunocytochemical localization of carbonic anhydrase in the pseudobranch tissue of the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Pseudobranch function has long interested scientists, but its role has yet to be elucidated. Several studies have suggested that pseudobranchs serve respiratory, osmoregulatory, and sensory functions. This work investigated the immunolocalization of pseudobranch carbonic anhydrase (CA) in the teleost fish species rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to clarify its physiological function. CA was purified from rainbow trout gills O. mykiss and specific antibodies were raised. Immunoblotting between tissue homogenates of pseudobranch and gill CA antibodies showed specific immunostaining with only one band corresponding to CA in the pseudobranch homogenate. Results of immunohistochemical technique revealed that CA was distributed within pseudobranch cells and more precisely in the apical parts (anti-vascular) of cells. The basal (vascular) parts of cells, tubular system, blood capillaries, and pillar cells were not immunostained. Immunocytochemistry confirmed these results and showed that some CA enzyme was cytoplasmic and the remainder was linked to membranous structures. The results also showed that the lacunar tissue layers did not display immunoperoxidase activity. Our results indicated that pseudobranch CA may have a function related to the extracellular medium wherein CA intervenes with the mechanism of stimulation of afferent nerve fibers.

Differential inhibition by acetazolamide on carbonic anhydrase distribution in the quail kidney: a proposal for a membrane-bound isoenzyme

The effects of different concentrations of acetazolamide, a specific carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, have been investigated in the quail kidney. The histochemical patterns, interpreted by means of quantitative analyses proved that 0.1 microM acetazolamide inhibited the enzyme activity in all the reactive tubular segments except for distal tubules. At this site, the reaction product disappeared from the cytoplasm but strong positivity persisted at the apical surface. The luminal staining was still present at higher inhibitor concentrations up to 0.8 microM acetazolamide. Under histophotometric analyses, the residual reactivity proved to be nearly the same at the increasing inhibitor concentrations assayed. The validity of the results was checked by similar investigations in other control tissues. On the basis of the properties known for carbonic anhydrase in mammalian kidney, we conclude that the luminal membrane staining in the quail distal tubules might be due to a carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme that is similar, both in affinity for acetazolamide and in intracellular localization, to the membrane-bound enzyme purified from mammalian proximal convoluted tubules.

Carbonic anhydrase activity in peripheral T-lymphocytes and appearance of the activity during their maturation in the thymus. A histochemical demonstration

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity is demonstrated in lymphoid tissue for the first time using the histochemical (Hansson's) method. A CA-positive reaction was seen in lymphocytes present in T-lymphocyte areas in both the lymph node and the spleen. The most intense staining was seen in the small T-lymphocytes, whereas the medium-sized T-lymphocytes were less markedly stained. The cortical lymphocytes in the thymus were completely devoid of staining, but the small medullary T-lymphocytes stained intensely. The results suggest that peripheral and thymic medullary T-lymphocytes contain CA activity, which appears in these cells during their maturation in the thymus.

Identification and immunocytochemical localization of two different carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes in teleostean fish erythrocytes and gill epithelia

Carbonic anhydrase was purified from the gills (CAB) of the rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri and from erythrocytes (CAE) of the fresh water carp Cyprinus carpio. The purification of the isozymes was confirmed by SDS acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Antibodies against the purified CAB and CAE were then raised in rabbits. Specificity was verified by immunoblotting. No cross-reaction was found between them, using the immunodot technique. CAB antiserum was used to specifically localize gill CA in the trout. Immunoperoxidase labelling revealed a concentration of enzyme on the apical region of the outer layer of the gill epithelial cells. The inner layer of the epithelium was only weakly positive. Results obtained using the immuno-gold technique confirmed the immunoperoxidase labelling: there was a concentration of label in the apical regions of chloride cells. In mucous cells, only the mucous granules were labelled. In the lamellae, the label was distributed in the apical part of the pavement cells. The villi and microplicae were strongly positive. CAE antiserum stained the red blood cells. The discrepancy between histochemical localization in the gill or in the opercular skin of killifish and our present immunolocalization was discussed. It was concluded that the most typical localization of CA is on the apical surface of the lamellar epithelium lying in contact with the environment. The result suggests that one of the main roles of gill CA may be to facilitate the diffusion of CO2 from blood to water.

Carbonic anhydrase-II messenger RNA in neurons and glia of chick brain: mapping by in situ hybridization

The enzyme carbonic anhydrase is widespread in brain tissue. In rodent brains it has been reported to be exclusively in oligodendroglia but there has been some debate about the generality of this finding. To investigate the cellular distribution of carbonic anhydrase by an independent technique, we have examined the chick brain by in situ hybridization to detect mRNA from the carbonic anhydrase-II gene, using as controls the actin and vimentin genes. The most intense carbonic anhydrase-II hybridization is to the choroid plexus, to the Bergmann glia of the cerebellum, and to the Müller cells in the retina. Elsewhere, some brain regions are negative while others show many individual strongly positive cells; carbonic anhydrase-II mRNA is particularly abundant in some parts of the hyperstriatum, tectum and thalamus. Some of the larger labelled cells are identifiable as neurons. By histochemistry, we confirm the presence of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme in choroid plexus and Bergmann glia, but the enzyme is also present in blood vessel walls where there is no carbonic anhydrase-II mRNA; this may be a different isozyme. During embryogenesis, carbonic anhydrase-II mRNA appears in the retina as early as two days of incubation, but does not appear in the brain until much later.

Immunohistochemical localization of carbonic anhydrase I and II in submandibular salivary glands of the mouse, rat, hamster and guinea pig

Tissues were fixed in Bouin and Carnoy solutions, and the peroxidase, anti-peroxidase (PAP) method was used. Serous acinar cells of the guinea pig were positive for carbonic anhydrase (CA), but acinar cells of rodents were negative. Granular convoluted tubule (GCT) cells of the mouse, rat and hamster had varying degrees of staining for CA isoenzyme I and II. Striated and excretory ducts from all four species were usually positive for CA. Scattered cells containing a high concentration of CA I and CA II were present in striated ducts and GCT of the hamster, GCT of the rat and striated and excretory ducts of the guinea pig.

Histochemical localization and functional significance of carbonic anhydrase in the salivary glands of some rodents and lagomorpha: an optical and electron microscopical study

An investigation was carried out by light and electron microscopy on the localization of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme in the submandibular and sublingual glands of some rodents and lagomorpha. By means of the cobalt-bicarbonate technique, it was demonstrated that in the submandibular glands the carbonic anhydrase activity is more intense in the terminal tracts, and that in the sublingual glands the enzyme activity is present in an equal degree in the terminal tracts and in the intralobular ducts. The results obtained are compared to those of other authors, and conjectures are made as to the functional significance of the carbonic anhydrase activity in the salivary glands.

Immunocytochemical and biochemical analysis of carbonic anhydrase in primary astrocyte cultures from rat brain

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) was studied in primary monolayer cultures from neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres with both immunocytochemical and biochemical techniques. In such cultures, which consist predominantly of astrocytes, immunocytochemical staining for CA using antibody raised against the type II enzyme from rat erythrocytes resulted in positive staining of the flat, glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive, astrocytic monolayer. Smaller, process-bearing, round cells that grew on top of the astrocytes stained intensely for CA. We estimated that these cells represented 1% or less of the total cells in the cultures, and they have been identified by others as oligodendrocytes. The intensity of the staining of astrocytes for CA could be increased to that observed in oligodendrocytes when the astrocytes were made to round up and form processes by treatment with 2',3'-dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Enzymatic assays showed that CA activity of the cultures after 3 weeks of growth was 2.5- to 5-fold less than that found for cerebral homogenates from perfused 3-week-old rat brains. However, both activities were totally inhibited by acetazolamide with an I50 of 10(-8) M, confirming that both rat brain and the astrocyte cultures possess the high-activity type II enzyme. CA-II activity was unaffected by treatment of the cultures with a method reported to remove oligodendrocytes. Thus, the immunocytochemical and biochemical studies reported here demonstrate that astroglial cells in primary cultures from neonatal rat brain contain CA-II.

Localization of carbonic anhydrase in the rat lung

The localization of carbonic anhydrase in the rat lung has been demonstrated, at light and electron microscopic levels, by the cobalt bicarbonate histochemical method of Hansson. Focal deposits of the cobalt sulfide reaction product were found not only in the capillary endothelium of the alveolar walls, but also in the small and large alveolar cells. The histochemical reaction was abolished by two potent inhibitors, acetazolamide (10(-5) to 10(-6) M) and KCNO (5 x 10(-3) to 10 x 10(-3) M). Physiological assay with Maren's method indicated that values for carbonic anhydrase activity in rat lung are 4.4 +/- 0.8 UA/mg of protein, 25.0 +/- 5.5 UA/mg of nitrogen, and 369 +/- 86 UA/g of wet weight. In addition, it was calculated that after fixation in glutaraldehyde-formaldehyde-picric acid about 9% activity is retained.

Ultrastructural localization of carbonic anhydrase in gastric parietal cells with the immunoglobulin-enzyme bridge method

Ultrastructural immunostaining of carbonic anhydrase in gastric parietal cells was accomplished with the immunoglobulin-peroxidase bridge procedure applied to cryostat sections of fixed guinea-pig stomach prior to dehydration and embedment. Of a variety of fixatives tested, only freshly prepared paraformaldehyde buffered with calcium acetate provided both immunostaining and adequate preservation of ultrastructural morphology. Delipidization or exposure of specimens to detergent prior to staining enhanced the intensity of the immunostaining and increased the sensitivity of the method. Increased diaminobenzidine concentration in the peroxidase substrate appeared also to intensify the densification at the reactive site. Carbonic anhydrase was localized ultrastructurally with this pre-embedment immunobridge procedure in the hyaloplasm of gastric parietal cells and less consistently in the superficial surface epithelium. The basal portion of the parietal cells stained more intensely than the apical region and immunoreactivity appeared concentrated at the plasmalemma and around mitochondria.

Carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme C in the human retina. An immunohistochemical study

The occurrence of carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes C and B in the retina of the human eye was examined with specific antisera against these enzymes. Immunological analysis were carried out by the double diffusion method of Ouchterlony, and the localization of the enzymes was studied by an application of immunoperoxidase (PAP) technique. A large amount of isoenzyme C was detected in tissue sections from the human retina, whereas the isoenzyme B was totally absent. Isoenzyme C was considered to be located primarily in the glial elements of the retina, correlating with the earlier findings obtained by traditional metal salt methods.

Autoradiographic localization of carbonic anhydrase in the developing chorioallantoic membrane

Carbonic anhydrase was localized in the chorioallantoic membrane with labeled inhibitor autoradiography of 3H-acetazolamide at 11, 14 and 19 days of incubation. At 11 days carbonic anhydrase was present in low amounts only in the undifferentiated ectoderm cells. At 14 and 19 days, the enzyme was found in increased amounts in all three germ layers of the chorioallantois. In the chorionic ectoderm the villous cavity cells contained the highest level of carbonic anhydrase. This finding lends support to the theory of H+ production to solubilize the CaCO3 of the egg shell. Sinus covering cells showed a considerable lower concentration of the enzyme than did villous cavity cells. Carbonic anhydrase in these cells may be multifunctional, assisting in calcium transport, subserving HCO3- transport from egg shell to blood, and supporting gaseous exchange. In the allantoic endoderm carbonic anhydrase was found in granule-rich cells and might be involved in the transport of Na+ and Cl- ions from allantoic fluid into the blood. The enzyme in the undifferentiated endoderm cells may have a respiratory function. In the mesoderm carbonic anhydrase was detected in the endothelium and pericytes of blood vessels where it is interpreted to support respiratory function.

Immunohistochemical localization of human carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme C

Methods for immunohistochemical localization of human carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme C (HCA C) with indirect fluorescent antibody and immunoperoxidase techniques are described. Both methods revealed large amounts of this "high activity" isoenzyme in the mucosae of human stomach and appendix. With the indirect immunofluorescent method the presence of the enzyme in human erythrocyte cytoplasm was also demonstrated. Correlations of present findings with those obtained with the traditional histochemical methods for demonstration of carbonic anhydrase activity are discussed.

Immunohistochemical demonstration of carbonic anhydrase

Rabbits were immunized using human erythroxyte carbonic anhydrase B (HCA B) purified by the modified methods of Armstrong et al. (1966) and Bernstein and Schraer (1972). The globulin fraction was isolated by ammonium sulphate precipitation. The anti-HCA B globulin was specific, when judged using the double diffusion technique of Ouchterlony and immunoelectrophoresis. No cross reaction with human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase C was found, but cross reactions with erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase from rat, mouse and guinea pig were observed. Flurorescein isothiocyanate conjugated goat anti-rabbit globulin was used for the localization of HCA B in tissue sections and erythrocytes on slides.

Integration of biochemical functions of different cells of rat gastric mucosa for hydrochloric acid secretion

The regulation patterns of gastric acid secretion in rats were investigated. Pentagastrin and histamine stimulate gastric acid secretion, but the inhibitors of DNA-dependent synthesis of RNA and of proteins prevent only the pentagastrin action. It has been found that pentagastrin induces histidine decarboxylase in gastric mucosa, ensuring local accumulation of histamine. The latter activates adenylate cyclase and results in 3',5'-AMP accumulation in gastric tissues. The administration of pentagastrin, histamine or 3',5'-AMP enhances the activity of gastric carbonic anhydrase, the enzyme which takes part in HCl formation. The data suggest that these three compounds act sequentially (pentagastrin leads to histamine leads to3',5'-AMP) and the effect of the last one could be mediated through 3',5'-AMP dependent protein kinase. The experiments in vitro demonstrated that gastric carbonic anhydrase can be separated into two isoenzymes and thephosphorylation of one of them by the 3',5'-AMP dependent protein kinase sharply increases its activity. The findings raise the possibility that histamine and 3',5'-AMP, mediating gastrin action, form together with enzymes (histidine decarboxylase, adenylate cyclase, protein kinase, carbonic anhydrase) a caascade of amplifiers. Autoradiographic studies have shown that [3H]-pentagastrin is not bound by oxyntic cells but adheres preferentially to histamine-producing alpha-like endocrine cells and to the chief cells, while 3H-histamine adheres preferentially to oxyntic and to chief cells. Electron microscopy indicates that only pentagastrin (but not histamine) initiates in alpha-like endocrine cells ultrastructural changes characteristic for induction. Pentagastrin, histamine and 3',5'-AMP administration produces in oxyntic cells ultrastructural changes typical for the secretion processes. These results lead to assumption that pentagastrin (gastrin) induces histidine decarboxylase in alpha-like endocrine cells of gastric glands. Histamine which is secreted enhances adenylate cyclase activity in the neighbouring oxyntic cells where 3',5'-AMP dependent protein kinase activates carbonic anhydrase by means of phosphorylation. These different cells form, probably, a multicellular functional unit for gastric acid secretion.

Electron microscopic localization of carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity in rabbit cornea

The localization of CA activity in the rabbit cornea was investigated using a modified Hansson's method. The reaction products indicating CA activity was observed in the lateral membrane of endothelial cell, but not in the apical membrane. In cytoplasm, Golgi complex, and mitochondria of the endothelial cells no specific reaction product could be found. In epithelium, stroma, and Descemet's membrane, no reaction product was seen. The specific staining was inhibited in the control group which was treated with 10(-4)M sodium acetazolamide.