Distribution of Some Heat Shock Proteins in the Tongue Tissues of Sheep of Different Ages

Heat shock proteins are molecular chaperones that regulate and modulate a multitude of cellular and physiological processes. This study was designed to determine the immunoexpression of HSP27 and HSP90 in tongue tissues throughout the development of sheep. Tongue tissues were collected from sheep aged 6-12 months (G1,n:6), 1-2 years (G2,n:6), and 3-5 years (G3,n:6). Immunohistochemical staining was performed after the tissue samples were subjected to routine histological procedures. Immunoreactivity for HSP27 and HSP90 was not observed in peripheral nerves, serous Von Ebner’s glands, and mucous glands. While HSP27 immunoreactivity was not observed in the gland duct epithelium, HSP90 immunoreactivity was detected. HSP27 and HSP90 immunoreactivity was seen in the epithelial layer, skeletal muscle cells, vascular endothelium, and vascular smooth muscle cells. There were no statistically significant differences in HSP90 immunoreactivity in the gland duct epithelium, epithelial layer, blood vessels, and skeletal muscle cells throughout the development of the sheep (p>0.05). While HSP27 immunoreactivity in blood vessels and the epithelial layer was not statistically changed between groups (p>0.05), HSP27 immunoreactivity in skeletal muscle cells was statistically higher in G1 compared to G3 (p<0.01). The results of this study demonstrated that HSP27 and HSP90 were expressed in the luminal epithelium, blood vessels, and skeletal muscle cells of the tongue tissues throughout the development of the sheep. This study shows that HSP27 and HSP90 are essential for sheep tongue development and play critical roles in cellular events.