Expression of the cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan mRNA in monkey submandibular gland.

We investigated the mRNA expression of cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans, syndecans and glypican, in the adult female monkey submandibular gland using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Agarose gel electrophoresis of the PCR products of the cDNA generated from RNA was carried out to demonstrate the expression of mRNA in syndecan-1, syndecan-2, syndecan-4 and glypican in this study. In order to compare the mRNA expression level among the cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans, we measured changes in the relative intensity of PCR products with increasing thermal cycle number. The expression levels were syndecan-4 > syndecan-1, syndecan-2 > glypican. Considering these results together with our previous report, we found that the cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans, syndecan-1, syndecan-2, syndecan-4 and glypican, are synthesized in the monkey submandibular glands, and that their ectodomains are released into the extracellular matrix. It was speculated that control of the expression patterns of the cell-surface proteoglycans may regulate the cellular function and behavior in the submandibular gland.