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Analysis and significance of H-Y antigen expression in ovaries of aged female rats
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ANALYSIS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF H-Y ANTIGEN EXPRESSION IN OVARIES OF AGED FEMALE RATS. P. Zaborski and M.C. Farber. CNRS, 67 rue Maurice-Gunsbourg, F-94200 I v r y - s u r - S e i n e , France, and H~pital Erasme, D~partement d'Immunologie, B-I070 Bruxelles, Belgique. Aging female rats spontaneously develop ovarian e p i t h e l i a l structures composed of so-called ' S e r t o l i - l i k e ' c e l l s organized in ' t e s t i s - l i k e tubules' and c e l l cords. The morphological transformation of such ovaries were i l l u s t r a t e d by scanning E.M. Moreover, the s e r o l o g i c a l l y detected H-Y antigen (SD.H-Y) was searched in senescent ovaries and kidneys using absorption experiments with anti-H-Y antiserum. Comparison with testes and kidneys from aged males and with ovaries and kidneys from young females showed only a SD.H-Y expression in the male c e l l s and in the senescent ovary c e l l s . The use of a Western blot-immunob l o t methodology with monoclonal and polyclonal anti-H-Y antibodies corroborated these observations. Thus two main questions were raised : Is there any causal r e l a t i o n ship between SD.H-Y expression and h i s t o morphological changes in senescent ovaries? Are there two d i f f e r e n t mechanisms of SD.H-Y expression, one dependent on the presence of the Y chromosome in extra-gonadal c e l l s , and one dependent on an hormonal control in gonadal cells?
GONADAL SEX REVERSAL IN THEMOUSE. Teruko Taketo-Hosotani, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal H3A IAI Canada. We have previously reported that mouse fetal ovaries develop follicles and seminiferous tubules (ovotestes) after transplantation beneath the kidney capsules of adult mice. Testicular ccmloonents of ovotestes are cc~oarable to those of the genetic male as revealed by electron microscopy. Further evidence for testicular differentiation was obtained by examination of biochemical products of ovotestes. (i) Sertoli cells of ovotestes produce glycoproteins which are secreted by Sertoli cells of norreal neonatal testes. (2) The ovotestes that have developed numerous s~itiniferous tubules secrete Mullerian duct inhibiting substance. (3) Ovotestes secrete testosterone, and its amount is positively correlated to the degree of testicular development. When fetal ovaries are microencapsulated in semipermeable membrane and transplanted, they develop primitive follicles but not seminiferous tubules. This result suggests that direct interaction between the host and the graft is essential for the induction of testicular development.
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ANALYSIS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF H-Y ANTIGEN EXPRESSION IN OVARIES OF AGED FEMALE RATS. P. Zaborski and M.C. Farber. CNRS, 67 rue Maurice-Gunsbourg, F-94200 I v r y - s u r - S e i n e , France, and H~pital Erasme, D~partement d'Immunologie, B-I070 Bruxelles, Belgique. Aging female rats spontaneously develop ovarian e p i t h e l i a l structures composed of so-called ' S e r t o l i - l i k e ' c e l l s organized in ' t e s t i s - l i k e tubules' and c e l l cords. The morphological transformation of such ovaries were i l l u s t r a t e d by scanning E.M. Moreover, the s e r o l o g i c a l l y detected H-Y antigen (SD.H-Y) was searched in senescent ovaries and kidneys using absorption experiments with anti-H-Y antiserum. Comparison with testes and kidneys from aged males and with ovaries and kidneys from young females showed only a SD.H-Y expression in the male c e l l s and in the senescent ovary c e l l s . The use of a Western blot-immunob l o t methodology with monoclonal and polyclonal anti-H-Y antibodies corroborated these observations. Thus two main questions were raised : Is there any causal r e l a t i o n ship between SD.H-Y expression and h i s t o morphological changes in senescent ovaries? Are there two d i f f e r e n t mechanisms of SD.H-Y expression, one dependent on the presence of the Y chromosome in extra-gonadal c e l l s , and one dependent on an hormonal control in gonadal cells?
GONADAL SEX REVERSAL IN THEMOUSE. Teruko Taketo-Hosotani, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal H3A IAI Canada. We have previously reported that mouse fetal ovaries develop follicles and seminiferous tubules (ovotestes) after transplantation beneath the kidney capsules of adult mice. Testicular ccmloonents of ovotestes are cc~oarable to those of the genetic male as revealed by electron microscopy. Further evidence for testicular differentiation was obtained by examination of biochemical products of ovotestes. (i) Sertoli cells of ovotestes produce glycoproteins which are secreted by Sertoli cells of norreal neonatal testes. (2) The ovotestes that have developed numerous s~itiniferous tubules secrete Mullerian duct inhibiting substance. (3) Ovotestes secrete testosterone, and its amount is positively correlated to the degree of testicular development. When fetal ovaries are microencapsulated in semipermeable membrane and transplanted, they develop primitive follicles but not seminiferous tubules. This result suggests that direct interaction between the host and the graft is essential for the induction of testicular development.
85S