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Polyamines in spermatocytes and residual bodies of rat testis

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Abstract

Immunocytochemistry for polyamines in the rat testis revealed intense staining of small bodies close to the lumen of seminiferous tubules of spermatogenic stage VII and VIII as well as of spermatocytes. Methyl green-pyronin and propidium iodide staining combined with DNase or RNase predigestion showed that the small bodies contained RNA, but not DNA and double fluorescence staining showed that polyamines (PAs) colocalized with RNA in the bodies. Electron microscopy confirmed the absence of nuclei in the bodies and revealed that PA immunoreactivity was associated with ribosomes. These results strongly suggest that the small bodies correspond to the residual bodies, and agree with previous results showing localization of PAs to ribosomes in neurons and gastrointestinal epithelial cells. The accumulation of PAs in residual bodies may reflect a termination of their role in spermiogenesis with respect to protein synthesis.

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Abbreviations

PAs:

Polyamines

ODC:

Ornithine decarboxylase

RT:

Room temperature

PBS:

Phosphate-buffered saline

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Life Science, Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, Ikeda 4-22-1, Kumamoto, 860-0082, Japan

    Masashi Shin & Kunio Fujiwara

  2. Division of Cell Biology, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark

    Lars-Inge Larsson

Authors
  1. Masashi Shin
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  2. Lars-Inge Larsson
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  3. Kunio Fujiwara
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Correspondence to Kunio Fujiwara.

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Shin, M., Larsson, LI. & Fujiwara, K. Polyamines in spermatocytes and residual bodies of rat testis. Histochem Cell Biol 127, 649–655 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-007-0285-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-007-0285-7

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