Localization of calbindin-D28K in calcitonin containing cells of chick ultimobranchial glands.

Specific antisera raised against calbindin-D28K (CaBP), the vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein from chick intestine, was used to localize the protein in chick ultimobranchial glands (UB glands) by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. CaBP was localized in secretory cells in the cell cords and in a few cells of the epithelium lining the follicles. It was not found in the fibroblastlike cells in the cell cords nor in islands of parathyroid tissue present in the UB gland. The immunomarker for CaBP was distributed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus of the secretory cells. The same cells demonstrated a positive reaction in their cytoplasm when reacted with an antiserum specific for salmon calcitonin (CT), thus confirming the presence of CaBP and CT in the same UB-gland secretory cells. In other tissues, the presence of CaBP is regarded as an end-organ marker for actions of the vitamin D endocrine system. This novel demonstration of CaBP in UB-gland cells responsible for secretion of calcitonin suggests a direct effect of the vitamin D endocrine system on those cells in addition to an indirect effect through the stimulation produced by elevated circulating calcium levels.