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The tight junctional protein occludin is found in the uterine epithelium of squamate reptiles

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Abstract

Occludin, an integral protein associated with the mammalian tight junction, has for the first time been identified in the uterus of squamate reptiles. The tight junction is made up of anastamosing strands and forms a selective barrier that regulates paracellular diffusion of solutes across uterine epithelium. Occludin exclusively labels tight junctional strands and is an excellent marker for tight junction permeability. Using western blotting and immunohistochemistry, occludin expression was examined in the uterine epithelium of five species of Australian skinks at different stages of gestation. More occludin was detected during late stage pregnancy/gravidity compared to the lower levels of occludin detected in vitellogenic and post-parturient females in three of the five species. We conclude that the paracellular permeability of the squamate uterine epithelium decreases as gestation progresses. As placental transport of ions and solutes to the embryo is highest during the last third of pregnancy in viviparous squamates, it is likely that a decrease in paracellular permeability is compensated by an upregulation of other transporting mechanisms such as histotrophy.

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Acknowledgments

Skinks were collected with permits from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (S10693) and the work was conducted under University of Sydney Animal Ethics Committee number L04/1-2005/3/4038. We thank the many people who have volunteered in the field and lab, especially, Jacquie Herbert, Jim Stewart, Scott Parker and Trevor Wilson.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medical Sciences (Anatomy and Histology) and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Anderson Stuart Building F13, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Joanna M. Biazik & Christopher R. Murphy

  2. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Joanna M. Biazik & Michael B. Thompson

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  1. Joanna M. Biazik
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  2. Michael B. Thompson
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  3. Christopher R. Murphy
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Correspondence to Joanna M. Biazik.

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Communicated by I.D. Hume.

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Biazik, J.M., Thompson, M.B. & Murphy, C.R. The tight junctional protein occludin is found in the uterine epithelium of squamate reptiles. J Comp Physiol B 177, 935–943 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-007-0192-1

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