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)

Protein synthesis has been investigated in different regions of the epididymis from normal rams, castrate rams, and castrate testosterone supplemented rams. Results show that there are few differences in the pattern of [35S]methionine-labelled proteins synthesized in different regions of the normal epididymis despite the variation in the morphology of the epithelial cells lining the duct. Three androgen-dependent proteins of molecular weights 24000, 64000 and approximately 200 000 were identified. Testosterone did not stimulate protein synthesis in the proximal caput epididymidis (region 1-3), suggesting that testicular fluid is important in maintaining the activity of epididymal cells in this area.
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PMID:Identification of androgen-dependent proteins synthesized in vitro by the ram epididymis. 715 95

The arrangement of blood vessels serving the testis-epididymis vas investigated microscopically in the mouse, rat, and rabbit. Blood vessels were visualized by infusing liquid silicone rubber into the vessels and subsequently clearing the surrounding tissue. Comprehensive illustrations of the vasculature were prepared from three-dimensional examinations. Arterial and venous vessels serving the testis-epididymis follow similar routes in all three species. However, the arrangements and characteristics of the blood vessels demonstrate dramatic species differences. For example, arteries within the testes have tight coils in the mouse and artery-artery anastomoses in the rat. Veins form vascular pathways that connect the testis and efferent ductules in all three species but also form a connection between the testis and cauda epididymidis in the rabbit only. Testosterone concentrations were determined in blood obtained by micropuncture of selected testis-epididymal veins. The measurements establish that the highest levels of testosterone are found in testicular surface veins. Also, vas deferential veins of the rabbit had significant amounts of testosterone. Studies of the blood-vessel volumes suggested that the volumes of arteries and veins in the testis are similar, whereas venous volumes exceed arterial volumes in all of the other organs examined. The studies provide comprehensive information about the architecture and physiology of blood vessels serving the testis-epididymis in the mouse, rat, and rabbit. Each species exhibits diversity in the vasculature and testosterone content of the veins. Veins connecting the testis to the efferent ductules and cauda epididymidis may provide for the preferential delivery of testicular secretions to androgen-dependent organs before the secretions are metabolized or diluted in the systemic blood.
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PMID:Vasculature of the mouse, rat, and rabbit testis-epididymis. 715 9

Testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations in tissue and body fluid were determined in adult male rats to investigate the mode of androgen distribution. The highest concentration of androgen (testosterone + DHT) and the smallest ratio of DHT/testosterone were observed in the intratesticular tissue fluid. The androgen concentration in testicular vein blood was much higher than in any other sample of body fluid. Among the body fluid samples, except to that in the intrascrotal fluid, DHT/testosterone ratio remained almost equal to that in the intratesticular tissue fluid. The intrascrotal fluid and blood samples from the testicular and epididymal arteries had significantly higher androgen concentrations than thoracic duct lymph or aortic blood. Among the tissues, the accessory sex organs and kidney fat pad had higher androgen concentrations and larger DHT/testosterone ratio than muscle, including the levator ani muscle. The DHT/testosterone ratios in muscle specimens were not different from those in body fluid. The caput epididymis and surrounding adipose tissue (the epididymal fat pad) had the highest androgen concentration, and the largest DHT/testosterone ratio was observed in the caput epididymis. These observations support the theory of the local transport from the testis to the caput epididymis and from the testicular vein to the testicular artery. Thus, the intrascrotal androgen targets, especially the caput epididymis, receive androgen effectively, and it was suggested that the epididymal fat pad plays an important role in maintaining a high androgen concentration in the intrascrotal androgen targets.
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PMID:Androgen distribution in male rats. 723 21

Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) were estimated by radioimmunoassay in human seminal plasma. Testosterone concentrations showed no significant differences between fertile and infertile semen samples, whereas DHT concentrations were significantly lower in azoospermic and oligozoospermic samples. It is concluded that testosterone derives essentially from the accessory sex glands, whereas DHT is mainly of testicular or epididymal origin. The low DHT concentrations found in seminal plasma of oligozoospermic and azoospermic patients is probably due to defective epididymal conversion of testosterone to DHT.
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PMID:Testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone concentrations in human seminal plasma. 744 11

The effects of growth hormone (GH) and testosterone, alone or in combination, on the regulation of lipolysis in isolated adipocytes from hypophysectomized rats were investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were hypophysectomized at 50 days of age. One week after operation, hormonal replacement therapy with L-thyroxine and hydrocortisone acetate was given to hypophysectomized rats. Groups of rats were treated with GH (1.33 mg/kg, daily), testosterone (10 mg/kg, once) alone or in combination. After one week of hormonal treatment, adipocytes were isolated from the pooled epididymal and perirenal fat pads and glycerol release after isoproterenol stimulation and 125I-cyanopindolol binding was measured. Hypophysectomy caused a marked decrease in basal and isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis. There was no effect of testosterone treatment alone on lipolysis, but GH treatment resulted in an increase in isoproterenol-induced lipolysis but not to the levels observed in cells from control rats. Testosterone and GH in combination restored the lipolytic response to isoproterenol. Also 125I-cyanopindolol binding was decreased after hypophysectomy. Testosterone treatment alone and GH treatment alone increased the binding, while in combination the treatment had an additive effect. Affinity was not changed, but the effects seemed to be on receptor number, as determined by Scatchard analysis. Forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in adipocytes was markedly reduced after hypophysectomy. Testosterone treatment alone had no effect. GH treatment alone increased forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation, although the level was lower than that found in control rats. The combined treatment resulted in a further increase to levels observed in adipocytes from control rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Additive effects of growth hormone and testosterone on lipolysis in adipocytes of hypophysectomized rats. 749 May 28

Corpus epididymal and efferent duct epithelial cells on permeable supports formed confluent monolayers that resisted hydrodynamic equilibrium and created electrical resistance. Monolayers were formed sooner and were of better quality when fetal bovine serum (FBS), rather than bovine serum albumin (BSA), was present in glucose-free, rather than glucose-containing, media. Testosterone was converted to androstenedione by both cell types and conversion of both steroids to 5 alpha-reduced metabolites was higher in cells from the corpus epididymidis than from efferent ducts. Addition of heat-treated human spermatocoele fluid (similar to rete testis fluid) to the apical aspects of the cells increased cell heights when they were initially low, but some cytoplasmic damage was observed. New serum-free media (especially those designed for keratinocytes and mammary epithelial cells) could maintain cultured cells at heights found in situ.
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PMID:Epithelial monolayers from human epididymal and efferent duct tubules; testosterone metabolism and effects of culture conditions on cell height and confluence. 789 70

Effect of albumin on proluminal androgen movement from the peritubular space to the intratubular fluids of the adult rat testis and epididymis was examined by using in vivo microperifusion and subsequent micro-puncture of the seminiferous tubules and caput epididymal tubules. Tubules were perfused with four different fluids: (1) Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) containing 3H-testosterone and 14C-polyethyleneglycol (PEG) alone; (2) MEM + 8 mg/ml Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) containing the same radiolabeled compounds as above; (3) MEM + 80 mg/ml albumin containing the same radiolabeled compounds as above; and (4) Testosterone-free rat serum containing the same radiolabeled compounds as above. Bound 3H-androgens in the interstitial fluids of the testis and epididymis after one-hour perifusion with the four different fluids above were measured by charcoal assay. In the testis, proluminal 3H-androgen movement was not significantly altered by addition of albumin to the perifusion fluid (p = 0.08). Bound 3H-androgens in the interstitial fluid after perifusion were significantly increased with increasing albumin concentrations in the perifusion fluid. In the caput epididymis, proluminal 3H-androgen movement was significantly decreased with increasing albumin concentration in the perifusion fluid. Bound 3H-androgens in the interstitial fluid after perifusion were significantly increased with increasing albumin concentrations in the perifusion fluid (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that proluminal transepithelial movement of 3H-androgens in the reproductive tract could be influenced by the presence of albumin, androgen-binding protein or some other binding protein in the peritubular space.
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PMID:Effect of albumin on proluminal movement of 3H-androgen into seminiferous and epididymal tubules and androgen binding in the interstitium of the testis and epididymis after perifusion with fluid containing albumin. 789 69

With the deprivation of both circulating androgen (CA) and luminal androgen (LA; orchiectomized goats), the epithelial height (EH) in regions I-IV of the epididymis was reduced to 28, 67, 58 and 56% of that of controls, respectively, but it was increased to 109% of that of controls in region V. Similarly, the volume density of epithelium (VDE) in regions I-V was reduced to 33, 49, 45, 41 and 70% of that of controls, respectively. Conversely, in the absence of LA only (extratesticular-rete-ligated goats), while both EH and VDE were reduced to almost 50% of those of controls in region I, they remained similar to those of controls in other regions. The morphological changes in the epithelium such as cytoplasmic regression, loss of stereocilia and disorderly arrangement of epithelial cells were maximal in region I, moderate in regions II-IV and minimal in region V. Testosterone treatment appreciably reduced the degenerative changes caused by orchiectomy in all regions except region I where the restorations were marginal at best. Hence, the results suggest a differential epididymal response to androgen deprivation. Whereas the LA and/or other rete fluid components seem essential for maintaining the epithelial structure of region I, the CA alone can maintain, at least partially, the epithelial structure of regions II-IV and almost completely that of region V.
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PMID:Effects of androgen deprivation in the goat epididymis. 797 93

Maturation of mammalian spermatozoa depends on their interactions with epididymal proteins. The incorporation of 35S-methionine into these proteins was investigated by in vitro incubation of tissue minces from the mouse epididymis at different ages of postnatal development. The greatest amount of incorporation per wet weight of tissue was seen in 7 to 21-day-old mice. It decreased progressively during development while the rate of proteins released into the medium remained almost constant until the adult state. Separation of labeled proteins on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gels followed by fluorography showed that the great majority of secretory proteins synthesized in adult mouse epididymis could be recovered already from 7-day-old animals. Regional differences appeared at 21 days of age. These were marked by the secretion of proteins characteristic of the proximal (26, 25, 20, 19 kDa) and distal (44, 29 kDa) epididymis. Analysis of cytosol and luminal fluid proteins from prepubertal and adult epididymis revealed a number of proteins of the same mobility as those synthesized and secreted in vitro. Among the luminal proteins which showed variations during development and regional differences, four (29, 26, 20, 19 kDa) were characteristics of the epididymis and three (88, 34, 13 kDa) comigrated with testicular components. Castration or estrogen treatment of prepubertal mice for 4, 3 and 2 weeks inhibited or reduced the synthesis of the luminal proteins which appeared during postnatal development and/or presented regional differences. Testosterone replacement of castrated mice reversed this effect and induced the secretion of new proteins (37, 24 kDa).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Synthesis, characterization and hormonal regulation of epididymal proteins during postnatal development of the mouse. 814 29

Gossypol, a polyphenolic aldehyde naturally present in cottonseed, has long been recognized as a male contraceptive and recently as a potential anticancer agent. Our study used a rodent model to evaluate gossypol's potential for the treatment of human prostatic carcinoma. Two-month-old Copenhagen male rats received subcutaneous implants of a subpassage of MAT-LyLu prostatic cancer line, a highly metastatic, androgen-independent Dunning prostate tumor subline that specifically metastasizes to lymph nodes and lungs of recipients. After 2 weeks of gossypol treatment (0 or 12.5 mg/kg B.W./day S.C.) initiated immediately after transplantation, the rats were sacrificed and evaluated for prostate tumor growth and metastasis. Testosterone and gossypol levels in tumor tissue and various reproductive organs and serum potassium level were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), respectively. Gossypol-treated rats exhibited weight reductions in developed MAT-LyLu prostate tumor mass and prostate of 24% (p < 0.05) and 31% (p < 0.05), respectively; whereas testicular and epididymal weights were not significantly affected. Few metastases (20%) were observed in either lymph nodes or lungs of gossypol-treated recipients. The control rats, however, had a much higher rate of lung (60%) and lymph node metastasis (40%). Testicular testosterone levels, as measured by RIA, were significantly lower in gossypol-treated rats than in controls (p < 0.05), but serum testosterone levels were not different. Extractable gossypol content in the prostate tumor, as measured by HPLC, reached 19.67 ng/gm and was 1.28 times higher than in liver, 1.98 times higher than in testes, but was 3.3% of that in prostate. Moreover, serum had the highest gossypol content (10.7 micrograms/ml). Serum potassium levels, as measured by AES, were significantly higher in gossypol-treated individuals than controls (p < 0.05). Our results indicate for the first time that gossypol has antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects on MAT-LyLu prostate cancer cells and can be explored as a potential therapeutic agent for androgen-independent human prostatic carcinoma.
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PMID:Antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects of gossypol on Dunning prostate cell-bearing Copenhagen rats. 848 76


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