Immunohistochemical Localization of Adhesion Molecules - Adhesion Molecules - page 21

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CHAPTER

Immunohistochemical Localization of
Adhesion Molecules

H. Wayne Sampson 1,* and Alan R. Parrish 2
1 Ph.D., Department of Systems Biology and Translational Medicine, Texas A&M
Health Science Center College of Medicine, 702 SW HK Dodgen Loop, Temple,
Texas 76504 and Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Scott & White Hospital,
E-mail: [e-mail]
2 Ph.D., Department of Systems Biology and Translational Medicine, Texas
A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, 336 Joe H. Reynolds Medical
Building, College Station, Texas 77843-1114,
E-mail: [e-mail]
Departmental contact : Tina Mandoza, Department of Systems Biology and
Translational Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine,
702 SW HK Dodgen Loop, Temple, Texas 76504, E-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

Immunohistochemistry is the science of reacting specii c antibodies attached to
visible dyes or l uorochromes with specii c proteins of interest in tissue, in order
to identify their exact location. Although the methods of immunohistochemistry
are briel y overviewed in this chapter, its primary purpose is to identify advances
in our knowledge of adhesion molecules using immunohistochemical techniques.
h ere are many types of adhesion molecules. Some, such as claudins and
occludins, function almost exclusively in forming tight junctions for holding cells
together. Others, such as integrins, cadherins and catenins, function not only in
cell adhesion, but also in cell signaling, carrying chemical messages from outside
the cell to the interior. h ese signaling messages can result in the dissolution of the
cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix attachments and even result in cell migration.
h is phenomenon is very important for cell migration during embryological