THE EXPRESSION OF GICERIN, A CELL-ADHESION MOLECULE, IN REGENERATING PROCESS OF COLLECTING DUCTS AND URETERS OF THE CHICKEN KIDNEY FOLLOWING INFECTION WITH A NEPHROTROPIC STRAIN OF INFECTIOUS-BRONCHITIS VIRUS

Gicerin is a novel cell adhesion molecule belonging to the immunoglobu lin superfamily. In this study, we examined the relationship between t he expression of gicerin, and the regenerating process of collecting d ucts and ureters of chickens with interstitial nephritis caused by a n ephrotropic strain of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Immunohistoch emical analysis showed that gicerin expression was found on the epithe lial cells of collecting ducts and ureters in the embryonic kidneys, b ut was undetected in these regions following hatching. In the IBV-infe cted kidneys, gicerin was undetected in the degenerative epithelia of collecting ducts and ureters during the acute stage of infection, but became strongly re-expressed in these regions in the regenerating stag e, and gicerin expression then became undetectable in the completely r epaired epithelia. These findings suggest that gicerin expression is s trictly regulated for use in the epithelial regeneration, as well as d evelopment of collecting ducts and ureters of chicken.