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Since the discovery of kallikreins in the submandibular glands in 1936 by Werle and Roden, a great number of biologically active polypeptides has been purified from, or claimed to be present in, the submandibular gland of the mouse and of other species. In this review, available data on the occurrence, chemical properties, localization, hormonal control, synthesis, secretion, and possible physiologic roles of 25 biologically active factors in mouse submandibular gland are analyzed. In general, these factors are androgen dependent, but not affected by the sex genotype, and are localized in the granular convoluted tubule cells in the gland. They are secreted into the saliva,

The cellular and subcellular localization of epidermal growth factor in the submandibular glands of male and female adult mice was established by immunoperoxidase techniques. In light microscopic preparations epidermal growth factor was found exclusively in the granular convoluted tubules of the gland. The intensity of staining for epidermal growth factor varied from cell to cell, and some cells apparently were negative. The pattern of staining was similar in the glands of male and female mice; however, the granular convoluted tubules are androgen-responsive, and thus more extensive and composed of larger cells in males. In thin sections epidermal growth factor was most heavily concentrated in the secretion granules of the granular convoluted tubule cells. Within a given cell there was variation in intensity of staining of individual secretion granules, with some granules appearing minimally reactive or negative. The only other cell component with deposits of reaction product was the ribosomes.

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