Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P56851 (epididymal)
 11,273 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Androgen-binding protein (ABP) has been found in the cytosol of testicular and epididymal homogenates of several sub-primate species. In those species which had the plasma androgen binding protein, testosterone-estradiol-binding globulin (TeBG), ABP and TeBG were found to be physically similar. We investigated the possibility that ABP might exist in monkey and man using the cytosol of testicular and epididymal homogenates and aspirates obtained by direct micropuncture of the rete testis. In polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, pH 7.8, testicular and epididymal cytosols of monkey and man were found to contain several binding proteins of different size and net charge that bind dihydrotestosterone. These binding proteins were either indistinguishable from TeBG or could be related to TeBG as size and/or charge isomers. No ABP was detectable in up to 200 mul of monkey rete testis fluid obtained by direct micropuncture, though ABP is detectable in as little as 5 mul of rat rete testis fluid. The data suggest that the ABP's detected in the testicular and epididymal cytosols in monkey and man represent isomeric forms of plasma TeBG, and their presence in testicular cytosol most likely derives from blood contamination.
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PMID:Androgen binding proteins of testis, epididymis, and plasma in man and monkey. 82 31

The factors regulating the physiology of the epididymis and the induction of functional sterility by alteration of epididymal function are discussed. The threshold requirement of androgens to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the epididymis in the rat, hamster and monkey is much higher than that needed by the accessory glands. Further, the cauda epididymidis has a higher threshold requirement of androgens than the caput epididymidis and may reflect the differences in the availability and metabolism of androgens to these two segments. An inverse relationship exists between the levels of sialic acid (sialoproteins) in the epididymal luminal plasma and that bound to the spermatozoa in the cauda epididymidis. Androgen deprivation and consequent alteration of the secretory activity of the epididymis either by castration or by treatment with antiserum to LH or by the antiandrogen, cyproterone acetate, caused concurrent decrease in the levels of sialic acid in the luminal plasma and in the spermatozoa of the different regions of the epididymis. These changing patterns of sialic acid in the spermatozoa and luminal plasma may be associated with changes in the surface charge of the spermatozoa and the stabilization of the acrosome and its membranes during sperm maturation.
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PMID:Physiology of the epididymis and induction of functional sterility in the male. 82 28

This study was conducted to determine the effects of lead on Sertoli cell function. Androgen binding protein and inhibin in testicular fluids and classical parameters of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis were measured in adult male rats. For 10 wk, the rats were given water that contained 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% lead acetate. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone levels in all animals that ingested lead were normal at the middle and end of the experiment, as was the pituitary content of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. Histologic examination revealed no disruption of spermatogenesis. Distribution of androgen binding protein in serum, seminiferous tubular fluid, and interstitial fluid was normal, as was the concentration of inhibin in interstitial fluid and seminiferous tubular fluid. However, a significant increase in epididymal androgen binding protein level and a decrease in seminal vesicle weight were observed in rats that ingested water containing 1% lead acetate. These results suggest that the effect of lead on spermatogenesis is not marked in adult Sprague Dawley rats, nor does Sertoli cell function appear to be affected adversely. Lead has been reported to alter in vitro metabolic function of Sertoli cells obtained from 16- to 21-d-old Sprague Dawley rats, and the Sertoli cells of juvenile animals may be more susceptible to lead than those of adult animals. The significant decrease in seminal vesicle weight and the abnormal epididymal androgen binding protein content indicate that lead could affect the male reproductive function in Sprague Dawley rats via its action on male accessory organs.
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PMID:Lead acetate does not impair secretion of Sertoli cell function marker proteins in the adult Sprague Dawley rat. 144

Testicular and germ cell line morphology in rats were studied 2 weeks, 10 months and 14 months after cessation of a 61-day inhalation exposure to 1000 ppm n-hexane. Androgen biosynthetic capacity of testis, testosterone blood concentration, vas deferens morphology and noradrenaline (NA) concentration, epididymal sperm morphology, and fertility were also studied. Severe testicular atrophy involving the seminiferous tubules with loss of the nerve growth factor (NGF) immunoreactive germ cell line was found. Total loss of the germ cell line was found in a fraction of animals up to 14 months post-exposure, indicating permanent testicular damage. No impairment of androgen synthesis or androgen dependent accessory organs was observed. Simultaneous administration of 1000 ppm n-hexane and 1000 ppm toluene, or 1000 ppm n-hexane and 1000 ppm xylene, did not cause germ cell line alterations or testicular atrophy. Toluene and xylene were thus found to protect from n-hexane induced testicular atrophy.
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PMID:Testicular atrophy and loss of nerve growth factor-immunoreactive germ cell line in rats exposed to n-hexane and a protective effect of simultaneous exposure to toluene or xylene. 276 18

Androgen binding protein (ABP) was measured in the serum, testes and epididymides of adult male rats after treatment with ethylene dimethanesulphonate (EDS), which has direct cytotoxic effects on Leydig cells and secondarily affects sperm production. Serum ABP increased to a maximum 7 days after treatment and remained elevated for most of the 63 days of observation. The ABP content of both the epididymides and testes declined and were low between 14 days and 21 days following treatment. By contrast, the concentration of ABP in these tissues was maintained after EDS treatment and was sometimes elevated. This divergence between ABP content and concentration was due to atrophy of the testes and epididymides after the decline in androgen secretion. The changes in serum and tissue ABP levels after EDS occurred earlier than those observed in adult hypophysectomized animals, possibly due to local paracrine influences that are lost secondarily to destruction of the Leydig cells. Testicular testosterone did not parallel ABP content as it fell dramatically 2 days after EDS and remained low for about 21 days before returning to near control values after 63 days. Testicular and epididymal sperm heads decreased in number after EDS, but were not clearly associated with the changes in ABP. The results confirm that androgens are important for the production of ABP and for the partitioning of this protein between the blood and the lumen of the reproductive tract.
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PMID:Androgen binding protein in serum, testis and epididymis following treatment with the Leydig cell cytotoxic agent, ethylene dimethanesulphonate. 283 16

Antagglutinin, a specific protein synthesized by the boar epididymis, was secreted by the principal cells of the initial segment, the caput and the corpus, but was not detectable in the caudal cells. Castration completely abolished the synthesis and secretion of antagglutinin in all epididymal cells. Androgen replacement suggests that the epithelial cells from different segments have differential regulatory mechanisms. The proximal zone appeared refractory to exogenous testosterone; the median zone was a typical androgen-dependent region; and the caudal cells, where an unusual secretion of antagglutinin was detected, revealed still a different reaction pattern. It is postulated that these latter cells depend not solely on androgen but also or exclusively on other factors. Our results, which demonstrate a primary role of the Golgi complex in the secretory process in the epididymal cells, also suggest that the apical smooth endoplasmic reticulum may be implicated in the intracellular transport of glycoproteins to the cell surface.
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PMID:Androgenic control of antagglutinin secretion in the boar epididymal epithelium. An immunocytochemical study. 292 38

The isolation and culture of ciliated and nonciliated cells from rat ductuli efferentes is described. Fragments of epithelium obtained after two collagenase digestions attached to plastic and to extracellular matrix and could be maintained in culture for at least 2 weeks. Ciliary beating in cells grown on epididymal extracellular matrix-coated plastic could be observed for up to 7 days in culture. Although cells maintained on this substrate retained organelles characteristic of cells in vivo, they assumed a flattened, squamous appearance. In contrast, cells growing on the surface of permeable supports impregnated with extracellular matrix were polarized and exhibited a cuboidal/columnar appearance. Androgen binding protein conjugated to colloidal gold was taken up by these cells via coated pits and was found sequentially in uncoated endosomes, multivesicular bodies and lysosomes.
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PMID:Culture of ciliated and nonciliated cells from rat ductuli efferentes. 299 98

m-Dinitrobenzene (m-DNB)-induced testicular atrophy has been attributed to a direct effect upon the germinal epithelium. However, such degenerative changes in the germinal epithelium should induce shifts in the testicular hormonal milieu, which would in turn alter the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis in general. This study evaluated the endocrine status of male rats (killed 3 hr, 24 hr, 1 week, and 2 weeks) following a single oral dose of m-DNB (32 mg m-DNB/kg). Serum and pituitary leuteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and protactin and hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) concentrations were determined. Testosterone and androgen-binding protein concentrations in serum, interstitial fluid, seminiferous tubule fluid, and caput epididymis were also determined. In vitro basal and hCG-stimulated testosterone release was determined in the decapsulated testis. Results of the present study indicate that pituitary hormone concentrations and hypothalamic GnRH were unaffected after a single oral dose of m-DNB. Serum FSH was elevated at 2 weeks. There was a transient decrease in serum testosterone at 24 hr, which returned to control values at 1 and 2 weeks. Interstitial fluid, seminiferous tubule fluid, and caput epididymal testosterone concentrations were increased at 1 and 2 weeks. Basal testosterone release in vitro was increased at 2 weeks, while hCG-stimulated testosterone release was increased at 1 and 2 weeks. Androgen-binding protein concentrations in serum and interstitial fluid were increased at 1 and 2 weeks. Androgen-binding protein was increased at 24 hr and 1 week in seminiferous tubule fluid, but returned to control concentrations by 2 weeks. However, the total tubular content of androgen-binding protein was dramatically decreased at 2 weeks. Androgen-binding protein in the caput epididymis was unaltered following m-DNB treatment. These data demonstrate that m-DNB exerts a direct effect on the testes and not through alterations in hypothalamic and pituitary control of gonadal function.
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PMID:Changes in testicular and serum hormone concentrations in the male rat following treatment with m-dinitrobenzene. 313 88

Androgen binding protein (ABP), produced by Sertoli cells and released into seminiferous tubules and blood, was measured in the serum of di-n-pentyl phthalate (DPP)-treated rats as a potential index of germinal epithelial damage. A single oral dose of DPP (0, 0.25, 1.0, or 2.0 g/kg body wt in corn oil) was given to four groups of 110 Fischer 344 rats; 10 rats per group were killed weekly for 10 weeks. Effects of treatment on serum ABP were then compared with effects on other reproductive endpoints. Treatment did not produce any significant effect on body weight or weights of liver, kidney, prostate, and seminal vesicles. In high-dose rats, serum ABP values more than doubled 2 days after injection, remained significantly elevated for 3 weeks, then fell and remained significantly below control values from Week 4 through Week 10. Accordingly, 95% of the rats in this group showed greater than 50% of the seminiferous tubules degenerated, decreased epididymal sperm density, reduced testicular and epididymal weights, and up to 97% morphologically abnormal sperm. In medium-dose rats, serum ABP increased up to 48% during the first week, returned to control values by Week 2, and remained at control levels thereafter. Of these rats, 20% showed 20-50% degenerated tubules, decreased sperm density, reduced testicular and epididymal weights (which were not always statistically significant), and up to 23% abnormal sperm morphology. In low-dose rats, serum ABP levels were similar to those of controls, and the other parameters, except sperm density, also remained unchanged. To examine the effects of DPP on fertility, a second group of rats was exposed in an identical manner [gavaged once with DPP in corn oil (0, 0.25, 1.0, and 2.0 g/kg body wt)], then mated to untreated females at 3, 6, and 10 weeks postexposure. DPP at 2 (but not 1.0 or 0.25) g/kg caused a significant reduction in pregnancies and live pups and a significant increase in preimplantation loss. Histopathology of the testis in the first experiment suggested a very slow recovery. Therefore, controls and high-dose rats in the mating trial were killed 14, 18, and 30 weeks after dosing and the germinal epithelium was evaluated histologically. All high-dose animals showed testicular lesions typical of phthalate ester exposure and the epithelium did not recover within 30 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Comparison of changes in serum androgen binding protein with germinal epithelial damage and infertility induced by di-n-pentyl phthalate. 322 Feb 21

Antagglutinin, a specific protein synthesized by the boar epididymis, was localized in all the principal cells of the initial segment, of the caput and of the corpus but was not detectable in the caudal cells. Castration completely abolished the synthesis and secretion of antagglutin in all the epididymal cells. Androgen treatment led to (1) the restoration of antagglutinin secretion in the caput (middle and distal) and in the corpus, (2) the failure to restore the secretion in the initial segment and in the proximal caput and (3) the emergence of a new secretion of antagglutinin by the caudal cells. These results suggest that (1) antagglutinin is an androgen-dependent protein and (2) the epithelial cells from different segments have differential regulatory mechanisms.
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PMID:[Differential regulation of antagglutinin secretion in pig epididymis: an immunocytochemistry study]. 325 97


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