DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERN OF ANDROGEN RECEPTOR IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN THE MOUSE SUBMANDIBULAR GLAND

Abstract We studied the immunohistochemical localization of androgen receptor in the mouse submandibular gland, and developmental profiles of its expression using polyclonal human androgen receptor antibody. In the submandibular glands of both sexes, specific immunoreactivity appeared only in cell nuclei of the acini, the intercalated ducts, the granular convoluted tubules (GCT) and the excretory striated ducts. The percentage of immunoreactive cells in each region gradually declined with age during the first 90 days of postnatal development studied. The sexual difference in the percentage of immunoreactive cells was oberserved in the acini on days 20 and 30 and in the GCT on day 30. Incidence of immunoreactive cells in the female was significantly smaller than that in the male. On day 60, the percentage of immunoreactive cells of these two regions turned to increase slightly in the female but continued to decline in the male, and then it became higher in the female than in the male. In addition, one-week...