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Characterization of Two Chromaffin Cell Populations Isolated from Bovine Adrenal Medulla
Author(s) -
Moro M. A.,
Garcia A. G.,
Langley O. K.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1991.tb03761.x
Subject(s) - chromaffin cell , adrenal medulla , medulla , biology , endocrinology , catecholamine
Cultures of chromaffin cells isolated from the bovine adrenal medulla have been extremely useful for investigating secretory mechanisms, but such cultures used up to the present time represent mixed populations of adrenergic and nor‐adrenergic cells. This report describes how, with slight modifications to standard procedures, two separate chromaffin cell populations may be separated from bovine adrenal medullae. These two cell fractions have been characterized by biochemical, immunocytochemical, and morphological techniques as enriched populations of adrenergic or noradrenergic cells, respectively. The adrenergic cell‐enriched fraction consists of >90% adrenergic cells, whereas the noradrenergic cell‐enriched fraction contains >60% noradrenergic cells. We also demonstrate that these cells may be cultured with their secretory machinery intact: analysis of secreted catecholamines from nicotine‐ or high K + concentration‐stimulated cells cultured from each fraction confirms that adrenaline is the major catecholamine secreted by one fraction, whereas noradrenaline is mainly secreted by the other.