Comparative Analysis of Phospholipase D2 Localization in the Pancreatic Islet of Rat and Guinea Pig

ABSTRACT

To examine the localization pattern of phospholipase D2 (PLD2) in the pancreatic islet (the islet of Langerhans) depending on species, we conducted a morphological experiment in the rat and guinea pig. Since individual islets display a typical topography with a central core of B cell mass and a peripheral boundary of A, D, and PP cells, double immunofluorescent staining with a panel of antibodies was performed to identify PLD2-immunoreactive cells in the islets PLD2 immunoreactivity was mainly present in A and PP cells of the rat pancreatic islets. And yet, in the guinea pig, PLD2 immunoreactivity was exclusively localized in A cells, and not in PP cells. These findings suggest a possibility that PLD2 is mainly located in A cells of rodent pancreatic islets, and that the existence of PLD2 in PP cells is not universal in all species. Based on these results, it is suggested that PLD2 may play a significant role in the function of A and/or PP cells via a PLD-mediated signaling pathway.