Immunoreactivity of c-kit Receptor Protein during the Prehibernation Period in the Oviduct of the Chinese Brown Frog, Rana chensinensis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate immunoreactivity of the c-kit receptor in the oviduct of Rana chensinensis during the prehibernation period. Histological examination of oviducts was performed during the prehibernation period. The sections of oviduct were immunostained by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method using rabbit polyclonal antisera raised against the rat c-kit receptor and PCNA. Total proteins were extracted from oviducal tissues and used for Western blotting analysis. Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of the c-kit receptor and PCNA in the oviduct tissues during the prehibernation period. Also, positive signals for the c-kit receptor and PCNA by Western blotting were observed in oviduct tissues during the prehibernation period. These results suggested that the c-kit receptor might play a regulatory role in oviducal hypertrophy in the brown frog, Rana chensinensis.