Autoantigenicity of the basal compartment of seminiferous tubules in the rat

The expression of testicular autoantigens has been thought to be restricted to the luminal compartment of the seminiferous tubules. In the present study it was observed that germ cells in the basal compartment of seminiferous tubules and lamina propria of the seminiferous tubule bound antibodies in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of reproductive immunology 1996-08, Vol.31 (1-2), p.65-79
Main Authors: Saari, Teijo, Jahnukainen, Kirsi, Pöllänen, Pasi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adoptive Transfer
Animals
Antibody
Autoantigen
Autoantigens - immunology
Blotting, Western
Epididymis - immunology
Immunoglobulin G - immunology
Male
Orchiectomy
Orchitis
Rat
Rats
Rats, Nude
Seminiferous Tubules - anatomy & histology
Seminiferous Tubules - immunology
Sperm
Testis
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The expression of testicular autoantigens has been thought to be restricted to the luminal compartment of the seminiferous tubules. In the present study it was observed that germ cells in the basal compartment of seminiferous tubules and lamina propria of the seminiferous tubule bound antibodies in anti-testis immunosera in vivo after passive transfer of the sera by intra-peritoneal injection. The anti-testis immunosera were prepared in orchiectomised rats to avoid pre-collection adsorption of antibodies in the basal compartment of the seminiferous tubules. When testis-immune sera collected from non-orchiectomised rats or normal sera were transferred no such binding of antibodies to the basal germ cell surface or the lamina propria occurred. In Western blot analysis the anti-testis immune sera prepared in orchiectomised rats defined polypeptides from the adult rat testis with relative MWs of 19–23, 26–28, 30, 34, 38, 40–43, 45–47, 51–52, 56–57, 68, 78 and 97 kDa. The 40–43 kDa band was not detected by sera prepared in non-orchiectomised rats, suggesting that this autoantigen was expressed in the basal compartment of the seminiferous tubules. These observations suggest that the segregation of testicular autoantigens in the luminal compartment of seminiferous tubules is not complete for all of them in the rat and emphasize the role of more dynamic mechanisms in prevention of anti-germ cell autoimmune disease.
ISSN:0165-0378
1872-7603
DOI:10.1016/0165-0378(96)00962-X