Induction of seminal vesicle morphogenesis from dog epididymal epithelium

A number of carnivores, including the dog, do not have seminal vesicles (SVs). They have been induced experimentally by heterotypic recombination of adult dog epididymal epithelium with mesenchyme of neonatal rat SV and allowed to grow for 4 weeks under the renal capsule of male athymic nude mice. The induced SVs bore a striking similarity to rat SV both histologically and ultrastructurally. However, they secreted proteins which were different from those in the rat SV and reacted negatively to antibodies specific to rat SV secretory proteins and dog prostate secretory proteins. The results strongly suggested that the glands induced from dog epididymal epithelium were likely to be dog SVs.     

Segregation of secretory material in all elements of the Golgi apparatus in principal epithellal cells of the rat seminal vesicle

At the apex of the epithelial principal cells of the seminal vesicle, there appears to be two types of mature secretory granules, i. e., large and small. Both types of secretory granules showed an eccentric electron-dense spherical body with one pole attached to the delimiting membrane. The remainder of the large granule surrounding the eccentric body showed a granulofilamentous texture, whereas that of the small granule was electron lucent. The formation of these two types of granules was traced back to the various elements of the Golgi stacks. In the case of the large granules, the earliest stage of segregation of the precursor of the eccentric dense body was observed in distensions of the cis-element. Within distensions of all subjacent saccules, the dense bodies continued to be present but progressively increased in size while remaining attached to the saccular membrane. Following separation from the trans-face of the stack, the large prosecretory granules continued to increase in size by fusing with each other. The very large prosecretory granules, as they migrated toward the cell apex to become mature secretory granules, reduced in size prior to exocytosis. The small granules formed exclusively on the trans-aspect of the Golgi stacks and did not appear to fuse with each other. Observations on the formation of the large prosecretory granules within the Golgi apparatus and of the eccentric body in particular, which may be taken as a marker of the saccular membrane, were suggestive of a cis-trans migration and renewal of Golgi saccules.     

Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural localization of tissue polypeptide antigen in human ovarian tumours

Summary Forty specimens of benign and malignant ovarian tumours were studied for localization of tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) at light and electron microscopic levels by an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. Of the 30 ovarian carcinomas, 23 (77%) were positive and 7 (23%) were negative for TPA, while of the 10 benign ovarian tumours 3 (30%) were positive and 7 (70%) were negative. Positive reaction did not correlate with the tumour grade. Of the 10 patients with metastasis, 8 (80%) had positive tumours. Staining for TPA was observed at the intraluminal cell surfaces and peripheral cell membranes. The ultrastructural localization of TPA revealed electron-dense reaction products at the cell surface and microvillous surfaces. These results provide confirmatory and supplementary evidence to support the previous findings of TPA in the serum and suggest that testing for TPA in ovarian tumors has a limited prognostic importance and a poor diagnostic value. The surface property of TPA suggests that the cell membrane is involved in secretion and probably synthesis of TPA.     

Segregation of secretory material in all elements of the Golgi apparatus in principal epithelial cells of the rat seminal vesicle.

At the apex of the epithelial principal cells of the seminal vesicle, there appears to be two types of mature secretory granules, i.e., large and small. Both types of secretory granules showed an eccentric electron-dense spherical body with one pole attached to the delimiting membrane. The remainder of the large granule surrounding the eccentric body showed a granulofilamentous texture, whereas that of the small granule was electron lucent. The formation of these two types of granules was traced back to the various elements of the Golgi stacks. In the case of the large granules, the earliest stage of segregation of the precursor of the eccentric dense body was observed in distensions of the cis-element. Within distensions of all subjacent saccules, the dense bodies continued to be present but progressively increased in size while remaining attached to the saccular membrane. Following separation from the trans-face of the stack, the large prosecretory granules continued to increase in size by fusing with each other. The very large prosecretory granules, as they migrated toward the cell apex to become mature secretory granules, reduced in size prior to exocytosis. The small granules formed exclusively on the trans-aspect of the Golgi stacks and did not appear to fuse with each other. Observations on the formation of the large prosecretory granules within the Golgi apparatus and of the eccentric body in particular, which may be taken as a marker of the saccular membrane, were suggestive of a cis-trans migration and renewal of Golgi saccules.     

Immunohistochemical localization of metallothionein in human testicular embryonal carcinoma cells

Summary The presence of high levels of metallothionein (MT) in developing mammalian cells is well documented. It has been suggested that the developmental profile and gene expression of MT is similar to that of the so-called oncodevelopmental gene products such as a-fetoprotein. In this study tissue sections of nine human embryonal carcinomas of the testis were tested by means of the avidin-biotin peroxidase complex for the presence of MT. The antigen was localized in variable amounts in the cytoplasm and nucleus in tumour cells in all cases. There was evidence that immunoreactivity was related to the histological growth pattern of tumour cells. These findings suggest that MT may be considered an oncodevelopmental product which could be useful as a tumour marker. In addition, the histology of these tumours might predict MT expression; this may prove of value in testing the hypothesis of MT-related emergence of drug-resistant cell lines in the course of treatment of tumours with metal-containing chemotherapeutic agents.     

Immunohistochemical localization of neurofilament antigen in rat cerebellum

Summary The distribution of neurofilaments in the rat cerebellar cortex was studied by immunoperoxidase histochemistry using an antiserum raised against neurofilaments isolated from brain (anti-NF). In light microscope preparations, this antiserum selectively stained known neurofilament-containing structures. Staining was most intense in myelinated axons of the white matter and in the terminal branches of basket cell axons. No staining was apparent in either neuronal or glial cell bodies or in glial cell processes. These findings were confirmed in electron microscopic preparations of the same material. Neurofilaments stained by the antiserum were abundant in basket cell axons and also occurred in small bundles in mossy fibre terminals. Adjacent microtubules were not stained by the antiserum. There was no evidence of stained cytoplasmic filaments in glial cell processes. Thus it appears that neurofilaments contain unique antigens which do not occur in either microtubules or in glial cytoplasmic filaments. The antiserum did not induce staining of synaptic junctional structures, a result which contradicts previous suggestions that neurofilaments are structural components of synaptic densities.     

Immunohistochemical localization of human immunodeficiency virus p24 antigen in placental tissue.

As human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection spreads into the heterosexual population, perinatally acquired HIV infection will increase in incidence, and knowledge of the mechanism of this transfer is important. We have used immunoperoxidase techniques to detect HIV p24 antigen in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded placental tissue from nine known HIV serologically positive mothers. In four of these cases we have detected evidence or viral antigen in placental Hofbauer cells, vascular endothelium, or intermediate trophoblast. The implications for understanding the mode of transfer of infection to the fetus are discussed.     

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the luminal structure of human seminal vesicle

The seminal vesicles are the glands of male reproductive organs that produce the fluid and nutrient constituents of semen. It has been believed for a long time that the lumen of a seminal vesicle was a single-coiled tubular structure with irregular diverticula. There are several previous reports on the symmetry, differences in morphological sizes and classification of the seminal vesicles. However, a three-dimensional-coiled tubular structure is difficult to understand using a classical anatomical methodology, and hence, three-dimensional reconstruction is needed to understand the structure of the lumen. Thirty-one seminal vesicles harvested from 21 formalin-embalmed cadavers were investigated. The seminal vesicle along with the ampulla of the ductus deferens was separated, and the length and width of each seminal vesicle were measured. The vesicles were then embedded in coloured paraffin, and the resulting paraffin block was sectioned transversely and photographed at an interval of 500 μm, with the sectioned surfaces then utilized in three-dimensional reconstruction performed by ‘Reconstruct’ software. The mean length and width of the seminal vesicles were 39.4 mm and 13.4 mm, respectively, and the right seminal vesicle was a little larger than the one on the left. The size differed from previous reports, while the luminal structure was similar to the classification of Aboul-azm (Archives of Andrology, 3, 1979, 287–292) but differed from that of Pereira (AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology, 69, 1953, 361–379). The seminal vesicles typically comprised about 9 curls and had about 12 diverticula. The seminal vesicles resembled a skein of coral rather than comprising a single strand. These findings will help in improving the understanding of pathophysiologies of the seminal vesicles, such as recurrent inflammation of the gland.     

Immunohistochemical localization of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease viral antigen

Summary Immunohistochemical investigations were carried out to determine organ and cellular localization of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease viral antigen (RHDVA). It was found in certain parenchymal liver cells near the interlobular septs and in some macrophages and pseudoeosinophils of all studied organs and blood. Whereas in morphologically preserved hepatocytes and macrophages the RHDVA accumulated in the nuclei, in cells with disintegrated nuclei it was distributed throughout the cytoplasm.     

Immunohistochemical localization of capsular polysaccharide antigen in the central nervous system cells in cryptococcal meningoencephalitis.

Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis (CME) is caused by the encapsulated fungus Cryptococcus neoformans (CN) and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with AIDS. The polysaccharide capsule of CN is important for virulence, and soluble polysaccharide has the potential to cause immune modulation. To better understand the interactions of central nervous system cells and cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide (CNPS) in the pathogenesis of human CME, postmortem brain tissue from 21 patients with CME (13 AIDS and 8 non-AIDS patients) was analyzed. Histopathology and distribution of tissue CNPS antigen were analyzed using monoclonal antibodies against CNPS in combination with cell type-specific markers (glial fibrillary acidic protein for astrocytes, Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA)-l for macrophage/microglia and endothelial cells; UCHL-1 for T cells, L26 for B cells). The CN cells showed discrete capsular immunoreactivity as expected; however, diffuse and particulate cellular and tissue staining for CNPS was detected in the brain parenchyma and the meninges in all cases. By quantitative analysis, the CNPS immunoreactive area ranged from 0.1 to 88 percent of tissue cross sectional area, and tended to be higher in brains of AIDS (median values from two sections ranged from 1 to 57 percent; mean, 26 percent) than in non-AIDS (0.1 to 40 percent; mean, 9.6 percent) patients. The proportion of CNPS immunoreactive area was positively correlated with the estimated number of CN. None (0/13) of the AIDS patients displayed significant inflammatory responses to CN, whereas most (7/8) non-AIDS patients showed granulomatous inflammatory responses. The phenotype of infiltrating lymphocytes was UCHL-1+/L26-/RC4-, thus consistent with activated T cells, both in AIDS and non-AIDS patients. Double immunolabeling studies revealed that tissue CNPS immunoreactivity was most often localized in macrophages and microglia, less frequently in reactive astrocytes and endothelial cells, but not in lymphocytes. This study demonstrates that CNPS can be detected not only in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients, but also in the affected tissue, most often localized in cells of mononuclear phagocyte system. Potential implications of these findings for the pathogenesis of CME are discussed.     

Immunohistochemical localization of GABAergic cells in the developing human dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

GABAergic neurons were demonstrated in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of human foetuses of 21 weeks gestation using unlabelled antibodies against gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). These inhibitory neurons are thus cytochemically identifiable prior to appearance of lamination, at a period when there is reportedly segregation of retinal afferents from both eyes and formation of morphologically defined synapses. Their presence in the prenatal period indicates that the morphological substrate responsible, in part, for the orientation sensitivity of the dLGN neurons exists before birth in man.     

Aneuploidy in benign seminal vesicle epithelium: an example of the paradox of ploidy studies.

To evaluate if the nuclear enlargement and irregularity of non-neoplastic seminal vesicle epithelium were associated with an abnormal DNA content, 30 seminal vesicles obtained from radical prostatectomies were analyzed by flow cytometry. Twenty-eight (93.3%) of the seminal vesicles showed characteristic diploid histograms, while two (6.7%) showed histograms characteristic of aneuploidy. These results are discussed and other reported examples of aneuploidy in nonmalignant tissues are reviewed.     

Androgen-induced changes in nuclear pore number and in tight junctions in rat seminal vesicle epithelium

The numbers of nuclear pore complexes and tight junctions were quantified in the seminal vesicle epithelial cells of castrated and castrated-plus-androgen-treated male rats, which received subcutaneous pellets of testosterone propionate (1 mg/kg body weight) for 1 week. Seminal vesicle weights were 0.284 +/- 0.02 g for castrated, 1.006 +/- 0.006 g for androgen-treated, and 0.918 +/- 0.04 g for untreated groups. Tissue samples were processed for light or electron microscopy and for freeze-fracture techniques. Nuclear areas were measured: controls were 279.34 +/- 8 microns 2; these increased significantly (P less than .001) in castrated-plus-androgen-treated rats (324.66 +/- 11 microns 2) and decreased (P less than .001) in castrated animals (173.14 +/- 6.3 microns 2). Nuclear pore density increased (P less than .001) in castrated-plus-androgen-stimulated rats (5.38 +/- 0.24 pores/microns 2) (control: 4.78 +/- 0.14 pores/microns 2), and decreased (P less than .001) in castrated rats (3.16 +/- 0.14 pores/microns 2). A significant (P less than .001) increase in numbers of tight junction strands that extended in the lateral cell membranes was detected in castrated-plus-androgen-treated rats vs. controls or castrated-only animals.     

人胸腺内Ghrelin的免疫组织化学定位

目的:观察Ghrelin在人胸腺的定位与分布,为深入探讨胸腺内Ghrelin的功能意义提供实验依据。方法:采用特异性抗Ghrelin血清,用免疫组织化学ABC法观察人胸腺内Ghrelin的定位与分布。结果:Ghrelin免疫反应阳性细胞在胸腺内分布广泛。胸腺皮质浅层的Ghrelin阳性细胞呈巨噬细胞形态特点;而皮髓质交界区有大量上皮性网状细胞呈Ghrelin免疫反应阳性;胸腺髓质内Ghrelin阳性信号主要定位于树突状细胞和上皮性网状细胞;胸腺小体呈Ghrelin免疫反应强阳性。结论:胸腺内Ghrelin分布广泛,定位于胸腺巨噬细胞、上皮性网状细胞、树突状细胞和胸腺小体。Ghrelin可能参与胸腺细胞分化和成熟的调节。     

Primary adenocarcinoma of the seminal vesicle

A rare case of primary adenocarcinoma of the seminal vesicle is examined in an 87-year-old Japanese man. Neoplastic cells, especially poorly differentiated cells, showed a positive reaction with periodic acid-Schiff reagent and anti-carcinoembryonic antigen. Neoplastic cells invaded the bladder wall but not the prostate. No other primary tumor was demonstrated.     

Distribution and role of myofibroblasts in human normal seminal vesicle stroma

We studied the distribution of myofibroblasts in the stroma of normal seminal vesicles. Twelve normal seminal vesicles obtained by surgery on the diagnosis of some diseases were selected, and we evaluated the distribution of myofibroblasts in the seminal vesicles using immunohistochemical and electron and immunoelectron microscopic techniques. Immunohistochemically, myofibroblasts, which were positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin (ASMA) and negative for high molecular weight caldesmon (h-CD), were observed in the stroma just beneath the epithelium of normal seminal vesicles. Moreover, an electron microscope examination revealed the presence of spindle or stellate cells in the stroma of the lamina propria beneath the seminal vesicle epithelium, and an immunoelectron microscopic examination showed that these cells were positive for ASMA. Finally, myofibroblasts are distributed in the lamina propria of human normal seminal vesicles and may play an important role in the ejection of sperm plasm.