Table 1.
Distribution of K14 in adult mouse tissues
| Tissue | K14 (endogenous) | K14 promoter (transgene expression) | RT-PCR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complex epithelia | |||
| Epidermis | ++++ | ++++ | ++++ |
| Palmoplantar skin | ++++ | ++++ | |
| Hair follicle (ORS) | ++++ | ++++ | |
| Cornea | +++ | +++ | |
| Oral epithelium | +++ | +++ | |
| Tongue | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| Esophagus | + | − | |
| Forestomach | + | − | − |
| Salivary glands | + | +/− | |
| Mammary epithelium | + | +/− | + |
| Cervix/vagina | + | +/− | |
| Thymus | + | +/− | + |
| Trachea | + | − | |
| Bladder | − | − | |
| Pancreas | − | − | |
| Simple epithelia | |||
| Kidney | − | − | |
| Thyroid | − | − | |
| Seminal vesicle | − | − | |
| Ovary | − | − | |
| Small intestine | − | − | |
| Gallbladder | − | − | |
| Oviduct | − | − | |
| Colon | − | − | |
| Uterus | − | − | |
| Nonepithelial | |||
| Liver | − | − | |
| Adrenal glands | − | − | |
| Testis | − | − | |
| Habenular of brain | − | ∗ | |
| Rest of brain | − | − | − |
Tissues from adult K14-βgal or K14 expressing transgenic mice were frozen in OCT compound, sectioned, and either assayed for β-gal activity or subjected to immunohistochemistry using an anti-K14 antibody or an anti-P antibody. In addition, RNAs were isolated from some tissues and detection of transgene mRNA was determined by RT-PCR. ∗, A very faint signal, barely detectable, was seen after overnight incubation. +/−, Very patchy staining where only a small percentage of the epithelial cells were positive for transgene expression, and expression was markedly less than seen in the epithelial cells of the skin.