Abstract
Eight different monoclonal antibodies which recognize at least three distinct epitopes unique to the lactase protein of human enterocyte have been used to investigate lactase protein expression in hypolactasia of Neapolitan adults by light and electron microscopy with the immunogold technique.
All the antibodies gave the same results, namely: strong brush border staining in all the 7 lactase persistent adults tested; no staining at all in 9 of the hypolactasia subjects and a mosaic pattern of staining of enterocytes in other 12 adults with hypolactasia. The percentage of enterocytes showing intense staining for lactase protein varied between 4 and 20% of the total villus cells (mean value±SD:9.86±5.84). Intracellular staining was not apparent in any of the samples examined. Sucrase-isomaltase protein in contrast showed no mosaicism. The mosaic pattern of expression of lactase protein in some hypolactasic subjects suggests that columnar cells display a non homogeneous differentiation along the villus. If the two patterns, mosaicism or absence of detectable lactase protein, are present along the entire small intestine of the individuals tested, the results would suggest that two phenotypes of adult hypolactasia exist in the population we studied.
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Majuri, L., Raja, V., Potter, J. et al. MOSAIC PATTERN OF LACTASE EXPRESSION BY VILLUS ENTEROCYTES IN HUMAN ADULT-TYPE HYPOLACTASIA. Pediatr Res 27, 532 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199005000-00040
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199005000-00040