Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: EC:3.1.26.9 (ribonuclease)
6,589 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Under defined conditions, in the presence of 10 mg/ml of bovine serum albumin, cauda epididymal rat spermatozoa displayed vigorous motility, and a high proportion (81%) of eggs were fertilized. In contrast, no fertilization was observed after omission of albumin, or replacement of the protein by 10 mg/ml of cytochrome c, beta-globulin, gamma-globulin, hemoglobin, lysozyme, and polyvinylpyrrolidone, and 5 mg/ml of ribonuclease. However, high motility occurred in suspensions containing 3 x 10(6) spermatozoa/0.1 ml of medium with cytochrome c, beta-globulin, or gamma-globulin. In medium with 1 mg/ml of ovalbumin, 7% (2/29) eggs were fertilized. Use of defatted albumin resulted in a higher rate of fertilization than unmodified albumin (87 vs 70%), and this difference approached statistical significance. No fertilization was obtained in the presence of albumin presaturated with cholesterol. These results suggest that: (a) rat sperm cells failed to capacitate in the absence of albumin; (b) the protein exerted more than a nonspecific macromolecular effect; and (c) lipids associated with albumin may modify its ability to promote sperm capacitation.
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PMID:Influence of serum albumin on the fertilizing ability in vitro of rat spermatozoa. 125 Aug 65

Exogenous calf thymus whole histones showed a high degree of specificity to cause agglutination of rat epididymal spermatozoa. Histones had markedly greater (approximately 5-fold) agglutination activity than did salmon protamine whereas a variety of proteins, including strongly basic ones such as herring protamine sulphate, ribonuclease, cytochrome C and lysozyme, had no detectable agglutination activity. Histones F-3 and F-2a had the greatest activity for cell agglutination. Polyamines (5 mM), sialic acid (5 mM) and basic or acidic amino acids (10 mM) had no effect on histone (approximately 8 microM)-mediated sperm agglutination. 32P-Labelled histones showed a high specificity for binding to intact spermatozoa. The binding was saturable at a histone concentration of approximately 0.3 mg/ml and nearly completely displaced at saturating concentrations of native histones. Only unlabelled protamines competed to a small extent for binding of 32P-labelled histones to spermatozoa. The data are consistent with the view that histones bind specifically to sperm surface receptor sites before agglutination of cells.
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PMID:Histone-mediated agglutination of epididymal spermatozoa and the occurrence of histone receptors on the rat sperm surface. 725 26

Bovine seminal plasma (BSP) contains four similar acidic proteins, previously designated as BSP-A1, BSP-A2, BSP-A3, and BSP-30-kDa. These proteins are secreted by the seminal vesicles and coat the surface of the spermatozoa after ejaculation. The binding site of BSP proteins on the sperm surface has been identified as choline phospholipids on the plasma membrane. This study was undertaken to determine whether BSP proteins modulate capacitation of bovine spermatozoa induced by heparin. Bovine epididymal spermatozoa were washed and incubated in buffer containing BSP proteins and then washed and incubated with heparin. The percentage of capacitated spermatozoa was determined under the microscope after the acrosome reaction has been initiated with the addition of lysophosphatidylcholine. The results demonstrated that epididymal sperm undergo the acrosome reaction only in the presence of BSP proteins. This effect was concentration-dependent and reached a maximum level of a 3-5-fold increase at 20-40 micrograms/ml BSP protein concentrations. In contrast, ribonuclease (purified from bovine seminal fluid) or seminal fluid proteins depleted of BSP proteins (by sequential absorption of BSP proteins on gelatin-Agarose and DEAE-Sephadex columns) showed no significant potentiating activity. The purified BSP proteins were more active than crude alcohol precipitates of bovine seminal plasma. These results indicate that BSP proteins are regulatory factors of capacitation.
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PMID:Phosphatidylcholine-binding proteins of bovine seminal plasma modulate capacitation of spermatozoa by heparin. 763 45

Multiple gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) messenger RNAs (mRNAsII-IV) are expressed in a region-specific manner in the rat epididymis. In the present study, we examined the role(s) of plasma testosterone (T) and testicular factors in regulating the region-specific pattern and quantity of GGT mRNAs expressed along the epididymal duct. Northern blot and ribonuclease protection analyses showed that bilateral orchiectomy for 1, 5, and 15 days dramatically reduced the expression of GGT mRNAsII-IV in the initial segment. Expression of GGT mRNAII and mRNAIII was maintained in the initial segment of orchiectomized animals receiving T implants that maintain normal serum T concentrations, but GGT mRNAIV expression remained low relative to sham-operated control values. Unilateral efferent duct ligation decreased GGT mRNAIV expression only in the initial segment. Hence, expression of GGT mRNAIV in the initial segment was not maintained by circulating T and required a factor(s) of testicular origin. In caput epididymidis, expression of GGT mRNAII and mRNAIII declined after orchiectomy and was not completely restored to control values in orchiectomized animals by plasma T alone, but also required a testicular factor(s). In contrast to the initial segment, expression of GGT mRNAIV in the corpus and cauda epididymidis did not require T and/or a testicular factor(s), as expression of this transcript remained unchanged in these regions after 1, 5, and 15 days of orchiectomy, orchiectomy and T replacement, and after unilateral efferent duct ligation. In the cauda epididymidis, expression of GGT mRNAII required circulating androgens and was unaffected by unilateral efferent duct ligation, whereas GGT mRNAIII expression was repressed by T. These data demonstrate that circulating T and a factor(s) of testicular origin differentially regulate the expression of each GGT mRNA in a region-specific manner.
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PMID:Expression of multiple gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase messenger ribonucleic acid transcripts in the adult rat epididymis is differentially regulated by androgens and testicular factors in a region-specific manner. 791 28

The expression of the androgen receptor in the human epididymis was analysed by ribonuclease protection, in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Androgen receptor mRNA and protein could be detected throughout the entire organ, albeit in different quantities, in the caput, corpus and cauda regions, respectively. Also positive, though only weakly, was the ductus deferens, while the efferent ducts were devoid of specific signals. In-situ transcript hybridization and immunocytochemistry localized androgen receptor mRNA and protein primarily to the epithelium of the epididymal duct. In the ductal epithelial cells androgen receptor immunoreactivity showed a distinct nuclear distribution. While peritubular cells occasionally displayed weak signals, interstitial cells as well as blood vessels were consistently negative throughout the entire organ. The observed pattern of androgen receptor expression in the human epididymis supports the notion that the structure and function of the epididymis is differentially controlled by androgens in a region-specific manner, whereas it would not seem compatible with a direct role for androgens in the regulation of epididymal blood flow.
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PMID:Region-specific expression of the androgen receptor in the human epididymis. 943 17

Hyperphagia and obesity can be experimentally induced in rodents by microinjection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the ventral noradrenergic bundle (VNAB) to interrupt efferent catecholaminergic pathways to the hypothalamus. Since hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) is implicated in the control of ingestive behavior, we evaluated hypothalamic NPY activity in this model of obesity. Adult male rats injected bilaterally with 12 microg of 6-OHDA in the VNAB displayed an enhanced rate of body weight gain and selective dark-phase hyperphagia that started at about 10 days postinjection and persisted for the entire duration of the experiment. NPY gene expression, assessed by ribonuclease protection assay, was significantly higher in the hypothalami of 6-OHDA-treated hyperphagic rats during the dark phase (p < 0.01 vs. levels during the light phase and in control, vehicle-injected rats). We also evaluated gene expression of NPY Y and Y5 receptors, receptor subtypes reported to mediate NPY-induced feeding. The dark-phase increase in NPY mRNA was accompanied by the concomitant upregulation of NPY Y5R gene expression, but not of Y1R mRNA levels. Leptin, the peripheral hormone secreted by adipocytes, is believed to maintain body weight and inhibit food intake, most likely by suppressing hypothalamic NPY activity. Evaluation of leptin gene expression in the epididymal fat revealed that the upregulation of leptin mRNA noted during the dark phase in control rats did not occur in 6-OHDA-treated rats. These observations implied that the normal restraint on NPY and feeding exercised by leptin in control rats may be abrogated in 6-OHDA-treated hyperphagic rats due to insufficient levels of leptin. If so, administration of leptin should inhibit food intake in these rats. Indeed, injection of leptin (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)) on 2 consecutive days reduced 24-h food intake by 25% and significantly reduced body weight. These results suggest that the nocturnal hyperphagia and resultant obesity induced by 6-OHDA injected into the VNAB may be attributed to leptin deficiency concomitant with increased hypothalamic NPY.
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PMID:Evidence that dark-phase hyperphagia induced by neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine may be due to decreased leptin and increased neuropeptide Y signaling. 961 6

Several studies have shown that sperm capacitation was accompanied by a change in the lipid composition of the sperm membrane. In cattle, the major proteins of (bovine)seminal plasma (BSP proteins: BSP-A1/A2, BSP-A3, and BSP-30-kDa) potentiate sperm capacitation induced by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Our recent studies indicate that these proteins and HDL stimulate sperm cholesterol efflux during capacitation. In order to gain more insight into the mechanisms of BSP-mediated sperm capacitation, we studied whether or not BSP proteins induce phospholipid efflux from epididymal sperm membrane. By direct determination of choline phospholipids on unlabeled epididymal sperm, the results show that sperm incubated in the presence of BSP-A1/A2 protein lost 34.4% of their choline phospholipids compared with the control (11.5%). Similar results were obtained using labeled epididymal sperm. Labeling was carried out by incubating washed epididymal sperm for 1 h with medium containing [(3)H]palmitic acid. The majority of the label was incorporated into sperm phosphatidylcholine. Studies of sperm phospholipid efflux were done by incubating the labeled sperm with purified BSP proteins, delipidated BSA, or bovine seminal ribonuclease (RNase, control protein). When labeled ([(3)H]phospholipid) epididymal sperm were incubated with BSP proteins (20-120 microg/ml) for 8 h, the sperm lost [(3)H]phospholipid in a dose-dependent manner (maximum efflux of approximately 30%). After the incubation with BSP proteins, the efflux particles were fractionated by size-exclusion chromatography. Analysis of the fractions obtained showed that the [(3)H]phospholipid was associated with BSP proteins. BSA (6 mg/ml) stimulated a specific phospholipid efflux of approximately 22%. In contrast, bovine RNase (120 microg/ml) did not stimulate phospholipid efflux. These results indicate that BSP proteins participate in the sperm cholesterol and phospholipid efflux that occurs during capacitation.
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PMID:Bovine seminal plasma phospholipid-binding proteins stimulate phospholipid efflux from epididymal sperm. 1045 33

To understand the role of estrogen in testicular and epididymal function of rhesus monkeys, we measured steroids in the spermatic and peripheral venus circulation and aromatase activity and its mRNA in testis and epididymis. Testosterone, estradiol-17beta, and estrone, but not androstenedione, were elevated in the spermatic vein serum compared to the peripheral circulation. Aromatase activity in testis and in caput epididymis (259+/-16 [SEM] vs 274+/-47 fmol of 3H2O/mg of protein/h [n = 10], respectively) was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than in corpus and cauda (124+/-28 and 113+/-33 fmol of 3H2O/mg of protein/h [n = 10], respectively). In the ribonuclease protection assay, two P450arom mRNA transcripts were identified in testis and epididymis. One corresponded with the aromatase full-length transcript and the other was a truncated isoform. The latter was significantly more abundant than the former (p < 0.01). Our results demonstrate that the monkey testis and, to a lesser extent, the epididymis can aromatize androgens. However, in the epididymis, like in some areas of the brain, there was a discrepancy between the aromatase activity and the mRNA. The fact that P450arom mRNA and aromatase activity do not correlate in the epididymis may indicate that aromatase activity is not strictly regulated at the level of RNA expression and that other mechanisms for this regulation should be considered.
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PMID:Cytochrome P450 aromatase in testis and epididymis of male rhesus monkeys. 1182 22

Epididymal proteins interact with sperm during their passage through the epididymis and thus contribute to the maturation and fertilizing capacity of the spermatozoa. In the present study we have discovered five novel epididymis-specific genes through in silico analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) at the UniGene library collection. The strategy used is a powerful way to discover novel epididymis-specific genes. The full-length cDNA sequences were determined, and computational tools were used to characterize the genomic structures and to predict putative functions for the encoded proteins. In vitro analyses revealed that all five genes characterized were highly expressed in the defined areas of the epididymis, and they were not expressed at significant levels in any other tissue. Three of the genes were named on the basis of their putative functions: Spint4 (serine protease inhibitor, Kunitz type 4), and Rnase9 and Rnase10 (ribonuclease, Rnase A family 9 and 10), while for the ESTs AV381130 and AV381126 no putative functions could be predicted. The expression of Spint4, Rnase9, and AV381130 was found to be under a direct or indirect regulation by androgens, while the expression of Rnase10 is regulated by a testicular factor(s) other than androgen. None of the genes were expressed in the immature epididymis, while mRNAs were detected from d 17 onward, at the time of maturation of epididymal epithelium. However, the expression of AV381130 was not detected until d 30 after birth, indicating a close connection between gene expression and puberty.
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PMID:Discovery in silico and characterization in vitro of novel genes exclusively expressed in the mouse epididymis. 1292 Feb 33

In this study, we purified the first member of a new ribonuclease (RNase) A family from fluid of the proximal caput of the boar epididymis. This protein, named "Train A," is the most abundant compound secreted in the anterior part of the boar epididymis. After 2D electrophoresis, it is characterized by more than 10 isoforms ranging in size from 26 to 33 kDa and pI from 5 to 8.5. Several tryptic peptides were N-terminal sequenced, and an antiserum against one of these peptides was obtained. The protein was immunolocalized in the epididymal epithelium of the proximal caput, especially in the Golgi zone and the apical cytoplasm of the principal cells. In the lumen, spermatozoa were negative but droplets of reaction product were observed within the lumen. Full lengths of Train A cDNA were obtained from a lambdagt11 boar caput epididymis library and sequenced. The deduced protein is composed of 213 amino acids, including a 23-amino acid peptide signal and a potential N-glycosylation site. The mRNA of this protein has been retrieved and partially sequenced in the bull, horse, and ram, and homologous cDNA is found in databanks for the rat, mouse, and human. All the sequences are highly conserved between species. This protein and its mRNA are male-specific and exclusively expressed in the proximal caput of the epididymis, the only site where they have been found. Train A presents an RNase A family motif in its sequence. The RNase A family is a group of several short proteins (20-14 kDa) with greater and lesser degrees of ribonucleolytic activity and with supposed different roles in vivo. However, the presence of a long-conserved N-terminal specific sequence and the absence of RNase catalytic site for Train A indicate that Train A protein is a member of a new family of RNase A.
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PMID:Identification of a member of a new RNase a family specifically secreted by epididymal caput epithelium. 1456 40


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