Ultrastructural Immunoperoxidase Demonstration of Relaxin in Corpora Lutea from a Pregnant Sow

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Abstract
Corpora lutea from a pregnant sow were prepared for immunocytochemical localization of relaxin in granulosa lutein cells at the ultrastructural level. The antiserum used in the staining procedure was raised against a highly purified porcine relaxin prepared from pregnant sows’ ovaries. The primary criterion for specificity was the identification of the peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex and a reduction in staining intensity upon prior incubation with porcine relaxin. Anti-relaxin serum stained a population of small granules which were commonly found in clusters within the cytoplasm or bordering the plasmalemma. The localization of relaxin in these granules extends the observations of others who have correlated changes in the number of granules with relaxin levels as determined by bioassay.