In-situ hybridization localized MUC7 mucin gene expression to the mucous acinar cells of human and MUC7-transgenic mouse salivary glands.

MUC7 gene that encodes the low molecular weight human salivary mucin MG2, was previously shown to be expressed in tissue-specific manner in normal human salivary glands and in salivary glands of transgenic mice carrying the MUC7 transgene. The purpose of this study was to examine the cell specificity of MUC7 expression in human and transgenic mice salivary glands. To localize the MUC7 transcripts, we used in-situ hybridization in combination with Tyramide Signal Amplification procedure. The results clearly showed that in both the human and transgenic mice salivary gland tissue sections, MUC7 transcripts were localized only in mucous acinar cells; no signals were found in serous acinar cells or any other cell types present in these salivary glands.