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BOR - Papers in Press, published online ahead of print December 15, 2004.
Biol Reprod 2004, 10.1095/biolreprod.104.035485
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Submitted August 30, 2004
Returned for revision October 7, 2004
Accepted November 17, 2004

Immunology


Expression of CD46 in Developing Rat Spermatozoa: Ultrastructural Localization and Utility as a Marker of the Various Stages of the Seminiferous Tubuli

Masashi Mizuno , Claire L. Harris , Norihiko Suzuki , Seiichi Matsuo , and B. Paul Morgan *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: morganbp{at}cardiff.ac.uk.

Abstract
Identification of the various stages of the seminal tubule epithelium important in spermatogenesis in man and rodents requires considerable expertise for analysis of ultrastructural appearance under light microscopy. Few good stage-specific markers have been reported to facilitate the process. We have recently described the characterisation of the expression of CD46 (membrane cofactor protein; MCP) in the rat using a novel monoclonal antibody. CD46 expression was restricted to spermatozoa and their immediate precursors in the testis. Here we have used a combination of morphological analyses, known acrosome markers, actin staining, direct nuclear staining and staining for CD46 to delineate precisely the sub-cellular location of CD46. CD46 staining co-localised with known acrosome markers in late spermatids and mature spermatozoa, and was confirmed by electron microscopy to be acrosome-restricted. Expression was first detected in step 7 spermatids, while known markers were not expressed until step 9. The CD46 staining pattern differed through spermatid development and distinct patterns of staining could be identified that, combined with DAPI nuclear staining, enabled the accurate staging of the seminiferous tubule epithelium in different profiles. This detailed description of the spatio-temporal expression patterns of CD46 provides a valuable tool for analysis of spermatogenesis in the rat. Further, this information will aid ongoing studies of the roles of CD46 in acrosome-related spermatozoal functions.

Key words: Immunology • Testis • Sperm • Spermatid • Spermatogenesis


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P. M Johnson, L. E Clift, P. Andrlikova, M. Jursova, B. F Flanagan, J. A Cummerson, P. Stopka, and K. Dvorakova-Hortova
Rapid sperm acrosome reaction in the absence of acrosomal CD46 expression in promiscuous field mice (Apodemus)
Reproduction, December 1, 2007; 134(6): 739 - 747.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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