IMMUNOLOCALIZATION OF ANDROGEN RECEPTOR AND ESTROGEN-RECEPTOR IN THE DEVELOPING TESTIS AND EXCURRENT DUCTS OF GOATS

Background: Because of the significance of androgens and estrogens in prenatal and postnatal differentiation of the testis and excurrent duc ts, it is important to understand the developmental pattern of androge n receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor (ER) in these organs. Methods: T issues from 1-23-week-old goats were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded in Paraplast-plus(R). Antigenic sites for AR and ER were immu nolocalized using the PG-21 rabbit anti-rat/human antibody and the H-2 22 rat anti-human monoclonal antibody, respectively, The avidin-biotin horseradish peroxidase procedure was used to identify positive immuno reactivity. Controls included incubation of sections with irrelevant I gG in place of primary antibody. Results: Within the testis, immunosta ining for AR in the nuclei of Sertoli cells increased gradually from m ild at week 1 to strong at week greater than or equal to 19. In contra st, nuclei of peritubular myoid cells and Leydiff cells exhibited mode rate to strong reaction for AR in all animals, Germ cells were negativ e. Within the rete testis, efferent ductules, regions I-V of the epidi dymis, and ductus deferens, nuclei of all epithelial cells, peritubula r myoid cells, and intertubular connective tissue cells expressed mode rate to strong staining for AR at all ages. ER were confined to noncil iated cells of the efferent ductules, which displayed moderate stainin g in all animals, beginning from week 1. Conclusions: Nuclear AR stain ing, found in all testicular cells (except germ cells) and excurrent d uct cells examined, was observed to change in an age-related manner on ly in Sertoli cells, where staining intensity increased between week 1 and week 19. Staining for ER, confined to nonciliated epithelial cell s of the efferent ductules, was not affected by postnatal age. (C) 199 7 Wiley-Liss, Inc.