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Immunohistochemistry was conducted to analyze the cellular localization of α1A-adrenoceptors along rat and human epididymis. ADR-A, a polyclonal antibody that recognizes the specific C-terminal region of α1A-adrenoceptors, immunostained this adrenoceptor subtype in smooth muscle cells surrounding the epididymal tubules and interstitial blood vessels and in subpopulations of epithelial cells from adult rat and human caput and cauda epididymidis. The same cell types from rat epididymidis were immunostained by ADR-1, a polyclonal antibody that recognizes a common region of the three α1-adrenoceptor subtypes, α1A, α1B, and α1D. Immunostaining with both antibodies was also conducted in adult rat and human vas deferens and seminal vesicle used as positive controls because of the abundance of α1A-adrenoceptors in these tissues. ADR-A- and ADR-1-positive immunostaining was differentially distributed depending on the antibody, method of tissue fixation (Bouin-fixed and fresh frozen tissues), species (rat and human), tissue (caput and cauda epididymidis), and age (immature and adult rats) analyzed. This is the first report immunolocalizing α1A-adrenoceptor along rat and human epididymis. The presence of this adrenoceptor subtype in epididymal smooth muscle and epithelial cells indicates their contribution to smooth muscle contractile responses and a possible role in the absorptive and/or secretory activities of the epithelium lining the epididymal duct. Taken together, our results should contribute to a better understanding of the physiological role of α1-adrenoceptors in the epididymidis and the importance of the sympathetic nervous system for male (in)fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP 1B) is a neuronal cytoskeleton marker with predominant expression in the developing nervous system. The present study provides evidence for the expression of this cytoskeleton protein in non-neuronal and neuronal cells along rat and human efferent ductules and epididymis (initial segment, caput, and cauda). Reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were used to confirm the presence of MAP 1B (mRNA and protein) in rat tissues. Immunohistochemical studies revealed MAP-1B–positive staining in columnar ciliated cells present in efferent ductules and in narrow cells located in the initial segment, in both rat and human. MAP-1B–positive basal cells, located underneath the columnar cells, were only identified in the initial segment and caput epididymidis of the rat. Qualitative analysis of tissues from 40–day-old and 120–day–old rats indicated that the number of MAP-1B–positive ciliated, narrow, and basal cells per tubule increased with sexual maturation. These immunoreactive cells did not stain for dopamine β–hydroxylase or acetylcholinesterase, indicating that they were not adrenergic or cholinergic in nature. Immunohistochemical studies also revealed the presence of MAP-1B–positive staining in interstitial nerve fibers in caput and cauda epididymidis from both rat and human. Thus, the expression of MAP 1B is not confined to a specific cell type in rat and human efferent ductules and epididymis. The functional significance of this cytoskeleton protein in tissues from the male reproductive tract requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number and type of testicular germ cells undergoing apoptosis in different age groups of mice (from 7 to 360 days of age) was determined and compared in age-matched wild type (WT) control and in a transgenic (TG) mice homozygous to rat androgen binding protein (ABP) using flow cytometry. Flow cytometric quantification revealed that the total number of germ cells undergoing apoptosis did not differ significantly in WT and TG mice up to Day 14. From Day 21 to Day 60, the number of germ cells undergoing apoptosis was consistently higher in TG than in WT mice. Starting from Day 90, the number of germ cells undergoing apoptosis in TG mice was lower than controls until Day 360. In 21-60 days old TG mice, spermatogonia, S-Phase cells, and primary spermatocytes are the cell types undergoing apoptosis at significantly greater numbers than those in WT mice. However, starting from day 60, the total number of spermatids undergoing apoptosis was significantly lower in TG mice than in age-matched WT controls. TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) in testicular sections from TG mice of 21 and 30 days of age confirmed the presence of increased numbers of apoptotic germ cells compared to their age matched controls. These data indicate that the continuous presence of greater than physiological concentrations of ABP in the mouse testis has a biphasic effect on the frequency of apoptosis in germ cells. The initial pre-pubertal increase in testicular germ cell apoptosis may result from direct or indirect actions of ABP and is likely to determine the subsequent life-death balance of germ cell populations in TG mice, whereas the subsequent reduction may result from maturation depletion. A wave of apoptosis during the pre-pubertal period is required for normal spermatogenesis to develop, and our data indicate that this apoptotic wave may be regulated by ABP and/or androgens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The lipocalin (LCN) family of structurally conserved hydrophobic ligand binding proteins is represented in all major taxonomic groups from prokaryotes to primates. The importance of lipocalins in reproduction and the similarity to known epididymal lipocalins prompted us to characterize the novel human epididymal LCN6. Methods and Results: LCN6 cDNA was identified by database analysis in a comprehensive human library sequencing program. Macaca mulatta (rhesus monkey) cDNA was obtained from an epididymis cDNA library and is 93% homologous to the human. The gene is located on chromosome 9q34 adjacent LCN8 and LCN5. LCN6 amino acid sequence is most closely related to LCN5, but the LCN6 beta-barrel structure is best modeled on mouse major urinary protein 1, a pheromone binding protein. Northern blot analysis of RNAs isolated from 25 human tissues revealed predominant expression of a 1.0 kb mRNA in the epididymis. No other transcript was detected except for weak expression of a larger hybridizing mRNA in urinary bladder. Northern hybridization analysis of LCN6 mRNA expression in sham-operated, castrated and testosterone replaced rhesus monkeys suggests mRNA levels are little affected 6 days after castration. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that LCN6 protein is abundant in the caput epithelium and lumen. Immunofluorescent staining of human spermatozoa shows LCN6 located on the head and tail of spermatozoa with the highest concentration of LCN6 on the post-acrosomal region of the head, where it appeared aggregated into large patches. Conclusions: LCN6 is a novel lipocalin closely related to Lcn5 and Lcn8 and these three genes are likely products of gene duplication events that predate rodent-primate divergence. Predominant expression in the epididymis and location on sperm surface are consistent with a role for LCN6 in male fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H-Dexamethasone (10 μg/kg) was injected intravenously in adrenalectomized rats and after survival times of 5, 30, 60, and 180 min its uptake within the pituitary was studied by autoradiography. Radioactivity was concentrated in cell nuclei in the pars nervosa and pars distalis. Within the pars intermedia, only cells of the marginal zone were labeled. In the pars distalis, some cells showed a weak nuclear accumulation of radioactivity as early as 5 min after injection. The tissue radioactivity was nearly maximal at 5 min, and the proportion of radioactivity in nuclei reached a maximum of 60-70% by 30 min. In competition experiments, non-radioactive steroids (1 mg/kg) were injected 5 min before H-dexamethasone and sacrifice was 30 min later. Dexamethasone markedly diminished the nuclear accumulation in the pars distalis, but corticosterone and progesterone did not. In the pars nervosa, corticosterone and progesterone competed for nuclear uptake of H-dexamethasone, although less effectively than dexamethasone itself. Different cell types in the pars distalis were characterized by treating autoradiograms with an immuno-peroxidase bridge procedure. Cells treated with anti-ACTH 17-39 had the greatest nuclear concentration of radioactivity, and those stained with anti-TSH were least heavily labeled. Cells treated with antisera to GH, PRL, and hCG were moderately labeled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]