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Temperature and androgens regulate the biosynthesis of secretory proteins from rabbit cauda epididymidis
Author(s) -
Regalado Francisco,
Esponda Pedro,
Nieto Antonio
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.1080360407
Subject(s) - biology , in vitro , methionine , biosynthesis , messenger rna , castration , protein biosynthesis , medicine , endocrinology , testosterone (patch) , incubation , androgen , in vivo , sperm , immunoprecipitation , gel electrophoresis , metabolism , polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis , microbiology and biotechnology , hormone , biochemistry , antibody , immunology , enzyme , gene , amino acid , botany
We have compared the biosynthesis of secretory proteins in rabbit cauda epididymidis maintained for 15 days at abdominal temperature with that of the scrotal cauda. Explants from both situations were incubated in vitro in the presence of [ 35 S] methionine, and the labelled proteins released into the incubation medium were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Body temperature specifically inhibited the synthesis of at least two polypeptides of 43 kDa and 21 kDa (designated EP21), whereas the synthesis of polypeptides of 80, 39, 31, and 24 kDa was increased. These changes resembled those produced by castration, but androgen treatment was not able to reverse the effect of body temperature. To confirm these observations, poly (A) + RNA from the scrotal and the abdominal cauda respectively, was translated in vitro and the synthesized products were immunoprecipi‐tated with an antibody against EP21 polypeptide. Both castration and body temperature strongly decreased the concentration of EP21 mRNA. In vivo testosterone administration restored the content of EP21 mRNA in cauda from castrated animals, but not in cauda maintained at body temperature. The changes observed might be related to the adverse effect of body temperature on sperm storage in the cauda epididymidis. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.