Immunohistochemical localization of carbonic anhydrase IV in capillaries of rat and human skeletal muscle.

We used polyclonal antisera raised in rabbits against membrane-bound rat lung and human lung carbonic anhydrase (CA) IV in immunofluorescence studies to stain cryosections of rat soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and several human skeletal muscles. There was strong specific staining of capillaries in all muscles investigated. Several techniques were applied to verify this result. (a) Serial sections were either incubated with anti-CA IV/FITC or processed for endothelial ATPase reaction. There was precise co-localization of antibody marked structures and ATPase stained capillaries. (b) Human muscle sections were double stained with anti-CA IV/TRITC and anti-von Willebrand factor (vWF)/FITC. vWF, a capillary marker, and CA IV were localized at identical sites. (c) The CAIV was released from capillaries by treatment with phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C, suggesting that the enzyme is anchored to the endothelial cell membrane via a phosphatidylinositolglycan anchor. (d) A rat hindlimb was perfused with diluted antiserum. Cryosections of perfused soleus and EDL processed for anti-rabbit IgG/FITC staining showed clear fluorescence associated with capillaries, indicating that the antigen was accessible from the capillary lumen. (e) Immune complexes formed during antiserum perfusion as described in d were precipitated from muscle homogenates. SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblotting showed that the predominant portion of total muscle CA IV was bound in these complexes and therefore must be located intravascularly.