Ram spermatozoa from the distal caput, corpus, and cauda epididymis and ejaculated spermatozoa were artificially inseminated in 170 ewes which had been treated with an ovulatory dose of PMSG 61 ! 4 hrs previously. Results were expressed as the percent of ewes pregnant 18 days after insemination (F = with positive progesterone assay/ Q inseminated) and embryonic survival (ES = ewes lambing/ preg...

High-resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses have indicated that several major boar sperm plasma membrane polypeptides (PMPs) increased in concentration during maturation in the epididymis. To investigate this further, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to two of these PMPs/glycoproteins referenced as 4.85 and 5.0 and polyclonal antisera (PCA) raised against PMP 5.0 wer...

Hamster caput epididymal spermatozoa exhibit a marked 90-180 degree bend when induced to acquire progressive motility in vitro (Cornwall et al, 1988). Flagellar bending is prevented by oxidizing sperm sulfhydryl (SH) groups with diamide. In the present study, the authors examined the SH proteins involved in sperm flagellar bending using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mon...

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in sperm maturation during epididymal transit, we intended to isolate secretory molecules that are region-specifically expressed along the epididymis and secreted into the lumen of epididymal ducts. By using differential display screening and DNA sequence analyses, we isolated a rat bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) possessing a si...

AIM To evaluate the effects of tamoxifen citrate on gene expression during nuclear chromatin condensation in male rats. METHODS The effects of an oral dose of 0.4 kg/(kg.d) tamoxifen citrate on rates of in vitro chromatin decondensation, acridine orange (AO) dye uptake, concentration of thiol-groups, levels and/or expression of transition proteins 1, 2 (TP1, TP2), protamine 1 (P1), cyclic AMP...

Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski) is an exotic annual grass invading rangelands in the western United States. Medusahead is a serious management concern because it decreases biodiversity, reduces livestock forage production, and degrades the ecological function of rangelands. Despite the obvious importance of ranchers as partners in preventing and managing medusahead in rangel...

Region-specific gene expression is an intriguing feature of the mammalian epididymis. This unique property is essential for sperm maturation and storage, and it also implicates stringent and multi-level regulations of gene expression. Over the past decade, the androgen-driven activation of epididymal gene transcription has been extensively studied. However, it still remains largely unexplored w...

Mammalian spermatozoa undergo important plasma membrane maturation steps during epididymal transit. Among these, changes in lipids and cholesterol are of particular interest as they are necessary for fertilization. However, molecular mechanisms regulating these transformations inside the epididymis are still poorly understood. Liver X receptors (LXRs), the nuclear receptors for oxysterols, are ...

BACKGROUND B7-H3, a member of the B7 family of the Ig superfamily of proteins, has been detected in the epididymis, which is a storage organ related to sperm maturation. However, the characteristics of its expression in different regions of the epididymis remain unknown. Our aim was to investigate the expression of B7-H3 in the caput, corpus, and cauda of the epididymis. METHODS We extracted ...

The effect of metabolic inhibitors on transepithelial movement of 3H-androgens was investigated by in vivo perifusion and subsequent micropuncture of caput and cauda epididymal tubules. Epididymal tissue (adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations were determined at 1 h after exposure of perifusion fluid with metabolic inhibitor. To determine whether or not metabolic inhibitor alters intralumi...