B. Horvat et al., GLYCOPROTEINS OF MOUSE VAGINAL EPITHELIUM - DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION RELATED TO ESTROUS CYCLICITY, The Journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry, 41(9), 1993, pp. 1351-1357
We used lectin overlay blotting and SDS-PAGE to analyze the estrous cy
cle-specific expression of mouse vaginal epithelial glycoproteins. Sev
en lectins chosen for their differential carbohydrate-binding specific
ity revealed 15 glycoproteins that showed cycle-related expression. Ea
ch lectin had a unique binding pattern different from the patterns rev
ealed by other lectins. However, several estrous cycle phase-specific
glycoproteins reacted with more than one lectin. The most prominent of
these glycoproteins (M(r) 92-95 KD) was weakly expressed in late dies
trus and fully expressed only in proestrus, coincident with the transf
ormation of two superficial layers Of vaginal squamous epithelium into
mucinous cuboidal cells. Electron microscopic lectin histochemistry r
evealed the glycoproteins in the mucinous granules of surface cuboidal
cells and in the lumen of the vagina. Our results illustrate the comp
lexity of glycoconjugate synthesis in mouse vagina and reveal the dist
inct cycle-specific patterns of individual glycoprotein expression. Th
ese cyclic glycoproteins could serve as vaginal biochemical markers fo
r the specific phases of the estrous cycle.