In order to investigate the secretory process in the lingual serous (von Ebner's) gland of the rat tongue, we are studying the effects of cholinergic and Beta-adrenergic agonists and antagonists and the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, on the secretion of lingual lipase and amylase. The amount of secretion is determined by in vitro incubation of the dissected glands with the agonists. The tissue and medium are assayed for lipase and amylase activity and portions of the tissue are taken for light and electron microscopy. Lingual lipase and amylase were purified from von Ebner's gland. Antibodies to the purified lingual lipase were prepared and used to localize the enzymes by fluorescence and protein A-gold techniques.
