UBIQUITOUS EXPRESSION OF THE ANDROGEN RECEPTOR AND TESTIS-SPECIFIC EXPRESSION OF THE FSH RECEPTOR IN THE CYNOMOLGUS MONKEY (MACACA-FASCICULARIS) REVEALED BY A RIBONUCLEASE PROTECTION ASSAY

Androgens are known to exert a variety of effects on an organism while follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) seems to act specifically on the g onads. To investigate whether these effects are reflected by the expre ssion pattern of the androgen receptor (AR) or the FSH receptor (FSHR) we screened 38 different tissues and organs of one intact and one cas trated male non-human primate (Macaca fascicularis). Ey means of a hig hly sensitive ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) we demonstrated AR m RNA expression in all tissues of the intact monkey investigated. Immun ohistochemistry of selected organs from this monkey revealed a good co rrelation between AR mRNA and protein expression. In the castrated mon key, the overall AR mRNA expression was markedly lower compared with t he intact monkey, although higher expression was present in the pituit ary, thyroid and prostate glands. FSHR mRNA was only detected in testi cular tissue. This study has revealed, for the first time, ubiquitious expression of the AR mRNA in a non-human primate. The testis-specific expression of the FSHR highlights the importance of FSH for spermatog enesis with the testis being apparently the only target organ.