ABSTRACT
Immunohistochemistry is the science of reacting specifi c antibodies attached to visible dyes or fl uorochromes with specifi c proteins of interest in tissue, in order to identify their exact location. Although the methods of immunohistochemistry are briefl y overviewed in this chapter, its primary purpose is to identify advances in our knowledge of adhesion molecules using immunohistochemical techniques. Th ere are many types of adhesion molecules. Some, such as claudins and occludins, function almost exclusively in forming tight junctions for holding cells together. Others, such as integrins, cadherins and catenins, function not only in cell adhesion, but also in cell signaling, carrying chemical messages from outside the cell to the interior. Th ese signaling messages can result in the dissolution of the cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix attachments and even result in cell migration. Th is phenomenon is very important for cell migration during embryological
development and occurs during the formation of cancers and their metastases. Th e movement and rearrangement of cells during the infl ammatory process is possible because of the properties of adhesion molecules. Many pathologies can be explained by changes in adhesion molecule properties, such as acute renal failure, which has been reported to be associated with disruption of intercellular adhesions in the proximal tubules of the kidneys. Much of our knowledge concerning embryological migration, cell migration, and pathological events has come from immunohistochemical studies.
