Immunohistochemical Labeling Of Vinculin In The Embryonic Chick

Abstract

Vinculin is an intracellular protein that links the cytoskeleton with the plasma membrane. It is found in all adhering junctions--both cell-cell and cell-surface. Its location puts it at the center of a fundamental process of embryogenesis--the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. An immunohistochemical labelling technique for the localization of vinculin was developed. This technique could be used in an attempt to understand the fundamental processes of development by applying it to the study of epithelialmesenchymal transitions in the somite of a chick embryo.