Immunohistochemical localization of WE-14 in the developing porcine sympathoadrenal cell lineage

Immunohistochemical investigation of the post-translational processing of c hromogranin A (CgA) to generate WE-14 in the sympathoadrenal cell lineage o f the developing porcine fetus (F) detected intense CgA and weak WE-14 immu noreactivity in migrating neuroblast cells of the diffuse sympathetic gangl ia adjacent to the dorsal aorta and projecting toward the cortical mass at F24-27. F37-42; WE-14 immunoreactivity was detected in chromaffinoblasts at the periphery of the developing cortex and at F54-56 days gestation WE-14 immunoreactivity was detected in a large population of central medullary ce lls. From F74 to F76 days and thereafter the number of cells exhibiting int ense WE-14 immunostaining decreased, and the majority of chromaffin cells e xhibited uniform weak WE-14 immunostaining. At postnatal day 1 (P1) intense WE-14 immunoreactivity was primarily confined to clusters of chromaffin ce lls with weak immunostaining in the general population. The transitory neur oblasts, chromaffinoblasts, and maturing chromaffin cell population exhibit ed uniform intense C-A immunostaining through gestation and after birth. Ad ditional observations detected intense C-A and WE-14 immunostaining in extr achromaffin tissue at P1 and in neuronal-like cells in vessels of the aorti c arch at F37. This study has demonstrated that CgA is post-translationally processed to generate WE-14 during early fetal development in the migratin g progenitor cells of the porcine sympathoadrenal lineage.