Skip Navigation


Mol. Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on February 25, 2005
Molecular Human Reproduction 2005 11(4):289-294; doi:10.1093/molehr/gah148
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
11/4/289    most recent
gah148v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Pelliccione, F.
Right arrow Articles by Francavilla, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Pelliccione, F.
Right arrow Articles by Francavilla, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Molecular Human Reproduction Vol.11 No.4 © European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 2005; all rights reserved

Immunophenotypical characterization of contractile cells in caput epididymidis of men affected by congenital or post-inflammatory obstructive azoospermia

F. Pelliccione1, G. Cordeschi1, M. Bocchio1, M. Mancini2, P. Sagone2, F. Francavilla1, G.M. Colpi2 and S. Francavilla1,3

1Department of Internal Medicine, Andrology Unit, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy and 2Andrology Unit, S. Paolo General Hospital, Via A. Di Rudiní 8, Milano, Italy

3 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Internal Medicine, Andrology Unit, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy. E-mail: sandrof{at}univaq.it

Myoid cells of the human caput epididymidis are replaced by large cells with ultrastructural features of smooth muscle cells (SMC) in chronic obstruction of the male genital tract. To evaluate whether these cellular changes are associated with different functional phenotypes we analysed the immunohistochemical expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms and of extracellular matrix (EM) components in the human caput epididymidis contractile cells in normal and in obstructed epididymides. Normal caput epididymidis myoid cells expressed a scattered immunostaining for SM2, marker of differentiated contractile SMC, while no staining was detected for SMemb (the non-muscle-type myosin heavy chain isoform) and for its transcription factor BTEB2, markers of undifferentiated proliferating SMC. A faint immunoreaction (IR) for EM was observed in the peritubular wall of the normal caput. In the contractile wall of the obstructed caput epididymidis a strong IR was detected for all myosin heavy chain isoforms as well as for collagen type IV and for fibronectin, markers for a secretory function of SMC. These findings, unknown in other models of SMC pathophysiology, suggest that myoid cells resume the molecular machinery of both mature SMC and of differentiating/secretory cells in the chronic obstruction of the human caput. Contractile cells of the epididymal duct represent a unique model to study the plasticity of SMC.

Key words: collagen type IV/fibronectin/human epididymis/myoid cells/smooth muscle cells/smooth muscle heavy myosin chain isoforms


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.