Distribution of kallikrein in striated duct cells of monkey submandibular glands

Abstract Although kallikrein has been localised in the striated duct cells of salivary glands, the manner in which it enters the saliva remains unclear. Here, immunocytochemistry was used at both the light- and electron-microscopic levels to localise kallikrein antigenicity. At the light-microscopic level, kallikrein was found at the apices of some, but not all duct cells. At the electron-microscopic level, it was found in small granules situated between the apical vacuoles and the luminal membrane. The kallikrein-containing granules underwent exocytosis at the cell apex.