Browsing by Subject "Mouse testis"

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    ABCA17 mediates sterol efflux from mouse spermatozoa plasma membranes
    (F. Hernandez y JuanF. Madrid. Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología., 2012) Morales, Carlos R.; Ni, Xiaoyan; Smith, Charles E.; Inagaki, Nobuya; Hermo, Louis
    Mammalian spermatozoa lose plasma membrane cholesterol during maturation in the epididymis and during capacitation in the female reproductive tract. While cholesterol acceptors such as high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and apolipoproteins A-I (apoA-I) and J (Apo J) have been found in male and female reproductive tracts, transporters that mediate cholesterol efflux from plasma membranes of spermatozoa to acceptors are not well defined. Candidates include members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily including ABCA1, ABCA7, ABCA17, and ABCG1. In this study, we utilize immunocytochemistry on sections of adult mouse testis and epididymis and RT-PCR on isolated germ cells. The data reveal that ABCA17 is expressed by steps 12-16 elongated spermatids in the mouse in testis and by spermatozoa in the lumen of the epididymis where ABCA17 localizes to the sperm head and tail midpiece. It also localizes on these areas of mouse sperm isolated from the epididymis. Moreover, ABCA17 antibody interferes with cholesterol efflux from spermatozoa to lipid acceptors apoA-I. Taken together, these results suggest that ABCA17 plays an important role in the process of sterol efflux which renders spermatozoa capable of fertilizing an oocyte.
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    Immunohistochemical study of serum albumin in normal and cadmium-treated mouse testis organs by “in vivo cryotechnique”
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2006) Liao, X.; Terada, N.; Ohno, N.; Li, Z.; Fuji, Y.; Baba, T.; Ohno, S.
    The in vivo injection of cadmium (Cd) was reported to induce blood-testis barrier disruption, and assumed to be an experimental model to examine junctional structures in seminiferous tubules. The purpose of this study is to investigate time-dependent changes of albumin permeability in the normal or Cdtreated mouse testis by our “in vivo cryotechnique” with immunohistochemistry, reflecting tight junctional (TJ) barriers of Sertoli cells. The albumin in the seminiferous tubules was firstly immobilized by the cryotechnique, in which normal blood circulation was always kept. The cryofixed testicular tissues were then processed for freeze-substitution, and embedded in the paraffin wax. Serial sections were immunostained by anti-mouse albumin antibody with peroxidase immunostaining, and also stained with hematoxylin-eosine (HE) for morphological observation. In normal seminiferous tubules, the immunoreaction products were localized around peritubular myoid cells and between Leydig cells, as well as in blood vessels. They were also localized as arch-like patterns around some spermatogonia in basal compartments of seminiferous tubules. Twenty-four and 48 hrs after Cd-treatment, some enlarged spaces and vesicular formations in the seminiferous epithelium were observed on the HEstained sections. The albumin immunolocalization was detected not only in the basal compartments, but also in the adluminal compartments between Sertoli cells and germ cells. Thus, the structural disruptions of inter- Sertoli TJ barriers could be clearly demonstrated by the “in vivo cryotechnique”.