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Query: UNIPROT:P56851 (epididymal)
 11,273 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cytosol prepared from rat epididymal fat cells by centrifugation at 100,000 X g for 1 hr was found to enhance the basal and epinephrine-sensitive adenylate cyclase [EC 4.6.1.1; ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing)] of fat cell ghosts. Cholera toxin also stimulated adenylate cyclase and increased the response to epinephrine in fat cells. A possible relationship between the adenylate cyclase modifying activities of cytosol and the effects of cholera toxin was sought. Cytosol from freshly prepared fat cells added to ghosts prepared from cells that had been exposed to toxin for varying periods showed a progressive loss of responsiveness to cytosol epinephrine-enhancing activity. The effect appeared within 15 min after toxin exposure, a full 30 min before any direct effect of toxin on adenylate cyclase was seen. Since exposure to toxin decreased membrane response to cytosol epinephrine-enhancing activity, the possibility that epinephrine-enhancing activity in cytosol might be altered by toxin was explored. Cytosol from cells exposed to toxin for varying periods lost epinephrine-enhancing activity to an appreciable degree within 15 min. Examination of these early events after exposure to toxin should clarify the way in which this bacterial substance affects mammalian cells. The cytosol epinephrine-enhancing activity was destroyed by boiling for 3 min and was partially inactivated by trypsin. It was nondialyzable and stable at -70 degrees.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1975 Sep
PMID:Stimulation of epinephrine-sensitive fat cell adenylate cyclase by cytosol: effect of cholera toxin. 105 43

OM rats fed a high fat ration were heavier, fatter and had fat depots which weighed at least three times as much as those fed a low fat (grain) ration. S rats fed a high fat ration showed slight increase in fat depot weights and no increase in body weight or fat when compared to rats of the same strain fed grain. For both strains of rats fed either diet for 4, 10 or 20 wk following weaning, there was a lower percentage of TG in the inguinal depot than in the epididymal or perirenal-retroperitoneal fat depots. There was a tendency for rats fed a high fat ration to have a higher percentage of TG in adipose tissues than rats fed grain, but the differences were not significant as long as age, anatomical site and strain were constant. Strain and age had no significant effect on the percentage of TG in fat depots. The fatty acid composition of the fat depots was effected by ration, but not by age, strain or anatomical site of the fat depot.
Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1975 Sep
PMID:Effects of diet, age, strain and anatomical site on fat depot triglyceride and fatty acid content in rats. 116 82

Bovine diabetogenic protein has been further purified by gel filtration yielding a fraction (Mr 25 000--28 000) having increased diabetogenic and in vitro lipolytic activity. Using rat epididymal fat pads, this fraction was shown to be lipolytic at concentrations as low as 1--10 mug/ml. The in vitro lipolytic effect was unaffected by the nutritional state of the animals, was not potentiated by dexamethasone, could be demonstrated in the presence and absence of glucose and was not mediated by alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors. A lag phase of greater than 1 h was observed before diabetogenic protein induced lipolysis occurred, suggesting that protein synthesis might be involved. Cycloheximide (10 mug/ml), added initially, prevented the diabetogenic protein-induced lipolysis. This direct effect of the purified protein on adipose tissue helps explain the elevation of free fatty acids seen when bovine diabetogenic hormone is administered in vivo and suggests that this anterior pituitary protein may be a new lipid-mobilizing hormone.
Biochim Biophys Acta 1975 Sep 08
PMID:In vitro lipolytic effect of bovine pituitary diabetogenic protein. 117 57

A 54-year-old Canadian presented with a 1-month history of painless swelling in the right testis. The diagnosis was thought to be a sperm granuloma, a leiomyoma, or an adenomatoid tumour of the epididymis; histologic examination, however, revealed evidence of schistosomiasis, probably due to Schistosoma haematobium. Solitary schistosomiasis of the epididymis has been reported previously in only two cases. Epididymal schistosomiasis has never been diagnosed preoperatively because it is so rare, but even if it were suspected preoperatively and confirmed by biopsy, chemotherapy alone would not prevent impairment of epididymal function due to scarring. Surgical excision of the lesion, therefore, is recommended.
Can J Surg 1975 Sep
PMID:Solitary epididymal schistosomiasis. 117 14

Studies were performed to compare the effects of 5 alpha-reductase inhibition and antiandrogen receptor blockade on differentiation of male internal and external genital structures and prostate in the rat. Dose-response studies were performed on male rats treated in utero during the period of sexual differentiation with either the potent 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride or the antiandrogen flutamide. The treated animals were raised to adulthood and killed, and genital structures were evaluated. Treatment with the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride at a dose of 25 mg/kg.day resulted in significant feminization of the external genitalia. There was no further feminization of the genitalia at doses up to 300 mg/kg.day. Wolffian ductal differentiation occurred at all doses evaluated. Seminal vesicle weight, however, significantly decreased at 25 mg/kg.day, but without a further decrease at higher doses of the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor. Vas deferens and epididymal weights were unchanged at all doses evaluated. There was a significant decrease in prostate size at 25 and 50 mg/kg.day, with no further decrease at higher doses. In flutamide-treated animals, complete feminization of the genitalia occurred at 24 mg/kg.day in all animals. At 18 mg/kg.day, Wolffian ductal differentiation occurred, but seminal vesicle weight was decreased. At dosages of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg.day flutamide, the vas deferens was absent unilaterally or bilaterally, with small remnants of epididymal head and tail present. At dosages of 24 mg/kg.day and above, the prostate was absent. Studies with the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride demonstrate the dependency of prostate and male external genital differentiation on dihydrotestosterone (DHT). However, unlike androgen receptor blockade with flutamide, finasteride did not totally abolish prostate differentiation or completely feminize the external genitalia, despite increasingly higher doses. Since there is no evidence of multiple 5 alpha-reductase isoenzymes to date in the rat, these results suggest that testosterone (T) can compensate for DHT to some degree at the level of the androgen receptor. Wolffian differentiation, however, was not affected by inhibition of DHT, demonstrating its T dependency, but seminal vesicle growth was impaired. Thus, inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase activity limits seminal growth potential in adulthood. Studies with the antiandrogen flutamide show that at doses significantly above that required to completely block prostate differentiation and cause genital feminization, Wolffian ductal differentiation is significantly impaired. Thus, higher doses of flutamide are needed to block the paracrine effect of T on the Wolffian ducts.
Endocrinology 1992 Sep
PMID:Comparison of the effects of the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride and the antiandrogen flutamide on prostate and genital differentiation: dose-response studies. 132 52

Rat epididymal retinoic acid-binding protein (EP-RABP) has been purified to apparent homogeneity from extracts of the epididymis by HPLC. N-Terminal amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the HPLC-purified protein consisted of two molecular variants, in that one has three extra N-terminal amino acids of NH2-TEG. These two molecular variants were subsequently separated by high performance electrophoresis chromatography. A specific and sensitive RIA has been developed to quantify this protein in various organ extracts of both male and female rats. Rat EP-RABP is a male-specific protein, since it was detected in male organ extracts, including epididymis, testis, prostate, seminal vesicles, liver, spleen, and brain, with a negligible concentration in the female liver and spleen. It was noted that this protein was absent in the systemic circulation of both male and female rats. It was first detected in the epididymis and testis of rats at 22 and 27 days of age, respectively. Both the concentrations (micrograms per g tissue) and the organ content (micrograms per organ pairs) of this protein in the testis and epididymis increased progressively with an increase in age and reached the highest levels at 60 and 120 days of age, respectively. At 120 days of age, its concentrations in all organs examined, with the exception of the epididymis, showed a dramatic decrease compared to levels in rats at 60 days of age. Orchiectomy decreased its concentrations in the caput, corpus, and cauda epididymis and in the ventral prostate, but had no apparent effect on seminal vesicles. Administration of dihydrotestosterone to castrated rats restored only 30% of the level of this protein in the caput epididymis compared to that in intact animals, but had no apparent effect on the corpus, cauda epididymis, or ventral prostate. These observations suggest that this protein is under multihormonal control in the epididymis and selected androgen-dependent organs.
Endocrinology 1992 Sep
PMID:Rat epididymal retinoic acid-binding protein: development of a radioimmunoassay, its tissue distribution, and its changes in selected androgen-dependent organs after orchiectomy. 132 64

In the epididymis of young rats, activities of DNA polymerases alpha, beta and gamma and DNA topoisomerase I decreased after castration. DNA polymerase alpha and gamma increased with androgen administration and activity reached 81.3% and 78.0%, respectively, of the activity in the sham-operated group on day 21. Activity of DNA polymerase beta remained at the activity of day 7 during androgen administration and was almost the same as that in the sham-operated group on day 21. DNA topoisomerase I activity showed a slight increase with androgen administration and reached 50.3% of that in the sham-operated group. The activities of these enzymes were not fully restored to those in the sham-operated group. These results indicate that in young rats activities of epididymal DNA polymerase alpha and gamma and DNA topoisomerase I are partially, and that of DNA polymerase beta wholly, dependent on androgens and may provide a means of investigating the regulation of epididymal cell proliferation.
J Reprod Fertil 1992 Sep
PMID:Androgenic regulation of enzymes involved in DNA synthesis in epididymis of young rats. 133 37

1. Short-circuit current (SCC) technique was used to study the adrenoceptors involved in the electrogenic chloride secretion by cultured cauda epididymal epithelium of rats. Stimulation of the epithelium with noradrenaline (primarily beta 1-adrenoceptor selective agonist), salbutamol (beta 2-adrenoceptor selective agonist) and adrenaline (non-selective beta-adrenoceptor agonist) led to a rise in SCC. At a low chart-speed (2 mm min-1), the response profile to these agonists consisted of a peak followed by a sustained response considerably higher than the basal SCC. 2. The EC50s (doses of agonist producing 50% maximum response) of noradrenaline, salbutamol and adrenaline were 300, 115 and 10 nM respectively. Pretreating the tissues with 1 microM atenolol (beta 1-selective antagonist) and 10 microM butoxamine (beta 2-selective antagonist) shifted the dose-response curves of noradrenaline (shifted EC50 = 4000 nM) and salbutamol (shifted EC50 = 1050 nM) to the right. Atenolol (1 microM) and butoxamine (10 microM) shifted the dose-response curve of adrenaline to the right with new EC50s of 30 nM and 115 nM, respectively. 3. The rapidly rising phase of the SCC response to noradrenaline and adrenaline observed at low chart-speed consisted of a brief and transient retraction followed by a rebound increase in SCC. At a high chart-speed (1 mm s-1), the retraction and rebound phenomenon manifested as a fast initial spike which could be blocked by phentolamine (non-specific alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist) in a dose-dependent fashion. Similar initial spikes were observed when the tissues were stimulated with phenylephrine (alpha-selective agonist) but not with isoprenaline (non-selective beta-agonist) or forskolin (activator of adenylate cyclase). The response of the initial spike triggered by noradrenaline was dose-dependent and the EC50 was 2000 nM.4. The present study showed that the electrogenic chloride secretion by rat epididymis could be stimulated by (alphaxi-, beta131- and beta2-adrenoceptor agonists. The al-mediated response had a faster onset and more transient action than the 3-counterpart. It is postulated that epididymal chloride secretion might be regulated by neural (noradrenaline-mediated) and humoral (adrenaline-mediated) controls and that the stimulus-secretion coupling mechanisms might involve both Ca2+(alpha-mediated response) and adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (beta-mediated response) as intracellular second messengers.
Br J Pharmacol 1992 Sep
PMID:Characterization of adrenoceptors involved in the electrogenic chloride secretion by cultured rat epididymal epithelium. 135 80

1. Primary monolayer cultures from adult human epididymis were grown on Petri dishes and previous supports. The epithelia so formed were used for whole-cell patch clamp recording and short-circuit current (ISC) measurement. 2. After 50 days of culture, the cells formed a tight epithelium with transepithelial potential of 5.5 +/- 1.3 mV (mean +/- S.E.M.., n = 16), apical side negative, and a basal ISC of 6.9 +/- 0.9 microA cm-2 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 16). 3. Adrenaline, when added to the basolateral side, at a concentration of 0.23 mumol l-1 increased the ISC by 3.0 +/- 1.2 microA cm-2 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 4). This increase was blockable by diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC, 1 mmol l-1). Forskolin (10 mumol l-1) also evoked a similar response to adrenaline. 4. In whole-cell patch clamp experiment, the resting membrane potential of the cells after dialysis with pipette solution containing 135 mmol l-1 KCl was found to be -30 +/- 14 mV (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 15). 5. About 90% of the cells successfully forming patches responded to 1 mumol l-1 adrenaline by an increase in inward current at -70 mV holding potential (delta I = -1600 +/- 900 pA, mean +/- S.E.M., n = 15). This increase in current was accompanied by a shift in reversal potential to -2 +/- 1 mV (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 15). 6. The adrenaline-induced inward current was found to be blockable by the Cl- channel blocker, DPC (0.25 mmol l-1). Ion substitution experiments showed that the adrenaline-evoked current was carried mainly by Cl-. 7. The effect of adrenaline on the whole-cell current was found to be mimicked by forskolin and could be abolished by including GDP beta S or a protein kinase A inhibitor in the pipette solution. Propranolol, but not phentolamine, completely abolished the effect of adrenaline. 8. Inclusion of 20 mmol l-1 EGTA or 2 mmol l-1 BAPTA + 100 mumol l-1 TMB-8 (to inhibit intracellular Ca2+ release) in the pipette did not seem to have any marked effect on adrenaline-evoked whole-cell current. Lowering the pipette Ca2+ concentration to 1 nmol l-1 or raising it to 10 mumol l-1 had no effect on the whole-cell current response to adrenaline. 9. This study shows that adrenaline stimulates Cl- secretion in cultured human epididymal cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
J Physiol 1992 Sep
PMID:Electrophysiological studies of anion secretion in cultured human epididymal cells. 136 44

It has recently been shown that chimeric toxins composed of acidic fibroblast growth factor fused to mutant forms of Pseudomonas exotoxin (aFGF-PE) are cytotoxic to a variety of tumor cell lines with FGF receptors. Although aFGF-PE might be considered as a possible chemotherapeutic toxin, limited knowledge is available concerning its effect on endothelia. This study investigates whether one of the aFGF-PE fusion proteins, aFGF-PE664GluKDEL, can function as an anti-angiogenic agent. Protein synthesis studies using rat epididymal fat pad microvascular endothelial cells (RFCs) indicated that after 24 h in culture, aFGF-PE had a significant inhibitory effect on protein synthesis at concentrations greater than 100 ng/ml. In cultures incubated with 1000 ng/ml aFGF-PE, RFC protein synthesis was inhibited as much as 83%. RFCs were also cultured in a 3-dimensional type I collagen gel and incubated with either transforming growth factor beta 1, aFGF-PE, or a combination of both. Transforming growth factor beta 1 elicits in vitro angiogenesis in these 3-dimensional cultures which consist of rapid formation of complex tubular structures. Transforming growth factor beta 1-treated RFCs incubated with aFGF-PE were unable to produce this angiogenic response, nor were they able to migrate out of the 3-dimensional culture to form a monolayer as shown by controls. Cell viability analyses showed that aFGF-PE produced a dose-dependent toxic effect which ranged from 10 to 90% cell death. Competition assays in which the chimeric toxin was preincubated with antibodies to aFGF resulted in an 89% reversal of the inhibitory effects of aFGF-PE on endothelial cells. Acidic FGF-PE with a mutation in the ADP ribosylation domain of PE was inactive in both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional cultures. These data show that aFGF-PE has specific in vitro cytotoxic, antiangiogenic, and antimigratory effects on microvascular endothelia.
Cancer Res 1992 Sep 15
PMID:Acidic fibroblast growth factor-Pseudomonas exotoxin chimeric protein elicits antiangiogenic effects on endothelial cells. 138 Dec 75


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