IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF TAURINE IN VARIOUS TISSUES OF THEMOUSE

The localization of taurine was investigated in several tissues of the mouse. Immunohistochemical methods using a polyclonal antibody for ta urine derived from rabbits was used in these studies. This method was used since it is a simple procedure and the results are clear and reli able. Tissues were fixed with paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin a nd treated in a microwave oven before using an avidin-biotin-complex m ethod (ABC method). Control staining was accomplished by employing abs orption staining using various amino acids: taurine, arginine, cystein e, hypotaurine and others. For purposes of comparison, radioautography (RAG) with H-3-taurine was performed to confirm the reliability of th e immunohistochemical staining compared with the localization of the H -3-taurine incorporation in endothelial cells of the blood vessels of several tissues. In this investigation, immunoreactivity was broadly o bserved in many tissues: Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, glia cells of brain tissue, cardiac muscle cells, matrices of the bone, mucus gra nules of goblet cells of the intestines, and brown adipose cells of th e fetus. Although the meaning of this widespread localization of tauri ne can not be explained completely, we surmise that taurine may have a different function in each of the tissues. In addition, taurine react ivity was observed in cell nuclei which was evidence of the presence o f taurine in the nuclei.