Type I corticosteroid receptor-like immunoreactivity in the rat salivary glands and distal colon: modulation by corticosteroids

A 167 amino acid fragment of the N-terminal domain of the human type I corticosteroid (mineralocorticoid) receptor was fused to the glutathione S-transferase gene using the Gex expression plasmid and the fusion protein used to raise the monospecific polyclonal antibody, MINREC4. Immunostaining experiments showed that MINREC4 specifically bound type I receptor in the distal tubule of the kidney, the ductal elements of the salivary glands and the epithelium of the distal colon in the rat. Adrenalectomy abolished staining in the parotid and colon, and reduced immunoreactivity in the submandibular gland. Administration of corticosterone or aldosterone resulted in partial restoration of immunostaining in the parotid, and a complete restoration of staining to intact levels in the submandibular gland and colon. These results suggest that adrenocorticoid binding to the type I receptor may result in tissue specific conformational changes in the binding protein and that the MINREC4 antibody may be used to study these effects.