Immunolocalization of hormone receptors and their regulatory system in the hormonally responsive ducts of the mouse salivary glands

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Granular convoluted tubule (GCT) -like cells in the submandibular gland (SMG), were induced in the striated ducts (SDs) of the parotid gland (PAG) of mouse after the repeatedly injections of androgen and thyroid hormone. This finding and our serial studies suggest that the hormone-dependent GCT is a common characterization in murine three major salivary glands. However, the process of cytodifferentiation from immature granular cells to GCT cells will be varying in each gland. This process is completed in a large population of SD cells in the SMG, with a small population restricted to the sublingual gland (SLG), but all of the SD cells maintain their original form in the PAG. The gland-specific GCT-phenotype might be caused by contents of hormone receptors. However, we have tried unsuccessfully to detect immunolocalization and western blotting of androgen receptor (AR) in the mouse salivary glands, using several commercially available antibodies for ARs. It is conceivable that molecular structures of ARs may be different between the salivary glands and the reproductive organs.