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BOR - Papers in Press, published online ahead of print June 2, 2004.
Biol Reprod 2004, 10.1095/biolreprod.104.030403
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Patricia A. Martin-DeLeon
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Submitted April 1, 2004
Returned for revision April 26, 2004
Accepted May 20, 2004

Male Reproductive Tract


Spam1 (PH-20) Expression in the Extratesticular Duct and Accessory Organs of the Mouse: A Possible Role in Sperm Fluid Reabsorption

Hong Zhang , Carlos R. Morales , Haitham Badran , Mohammed El-Alfy , and Patricia A. Martin-DeLeon *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pdeleon{at}udel.edu.

Abstract
A widely conserved sperm antigen, the Sperm Adhesion Molecule 1 (SPAM1 or PH-20) is a glycosylphosphatidyl inositol- (GPI)-linked protein with multiple roles in mammalian fertilization. It has been shown to be dually-expressed in testis and epididymis and this is conserved in the four species (mouse, rat, macaques, humans) that have been studied to date. Here we report Spam1 RNA and protein expression in the murine vas deferens and efferent ducts. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry indicate that transcript and protein are distributed in the non-ciliated epithelial cells, and that the efferent ducts have the most intense staining of all three regions of the excurrent ducts. Spam1 products were also present in the accessory organs, the prostate and seminal vesicles and its fluid. Using hyaluronic acid substrate gel electrophoresis, hyaluronidase activity at pH 7.0 was detected in the vas deferens; but was absent from the efferent ducts, the prostate, and the seminal vesicles/fluid. This suggests that Spam1 may play a non-enzymatic role in these organs. The expression of Spam1 without hyaluronidase activity in the efferent ducts parallels that in the proximal tubules in the kidneys where it is proposed to play a role in concentration of the urine. The parallelism in embryological origin, ultrastructure and physiology of the proximal tubules and the efferent ducts allow us to propose that in the latter Spam1 may play a role in sperm fluid concentration.

Key words: Male Reproductive Tract • Epididymis • Prostate • Sperm • Vas deferens


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