ISOLATION OF RAT LEYDIG CELLS BY DENSITY GRADIENT CENTRIFUGATION

1982 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. GALE ◽  
J. ST J. WAKEFIELD ◽  
H. C. FORD

A rapid method for preparing Leydig cells from rat testes is described. An interstitial cell suspension, prepared by collagenase treatment of decapsulated testes, was centrifuged for 10 min over a cushion of 60% (v/v) Percoll to remove red blood cells, and then centrifuged for 20 min in a 0–60% linear density gradient of Percoll. Seventy-four per cent of the cells present in that fraction of the gradient comprising 35–50% Percoll were Leydig cells; the yield from each testis was about 1·5 × 106 cells. The Leydig cells appeared viable, excluded Trypan blue, possessed high-affinity binding sites for human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and synthesized increased quantities of testosterone in response to hCG. The cells could be stored overnight in 20% (v/v) glycerol at −20 °C, with only minimal effect on the specific activities of a number of enzymes used as markers of subcellular components. Testosterone production in vitro by the cells after storage for 20 h was greater than that of hCG-stimulated fresh cells and was not further increased by hCG.

1991 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Dirami ◽  
L. W. Poulter ◽  
B. A. Cooke

ABSTRACT A method involving centrifugal elutriation followed by density gradient centrifugation and incubation with a macrophage monoclonal antibody has been investigated to separate and characterize Leydig cells and macrophages from adult rat testes. After dispersion of the testes with collagenase, the isolated interstitial cells were found to contain 18% Leydig cells and 12% macrophages. These cells were then separated by centrifugal elutriation into eight fractions (F1–F8) (9 to 74 ml/min at 386 g). Each of these fractions was then further purified by density gradient centrifugation on 0–90% Percoll gradients. After centrifugal elutriation, the macrophages were mainly eluted in the first three fractions (F1–F3), whereas the Leydig cell percentage increased in each fraction with increasing flow rate. After further purification of each fraction on Percoll gradients, high percentages of macrophages (11–20%) were found in fractions F1–F3 (average density 1·045 g/ml), containing 11–37% Leydig cells. Less than 3% of the cells in fraction F4–F8 (average density 1 ·075 g/ml) were macrophages and more than 95% were Leydig cells. Heterogeneity of Leydig cells with respect to sedimentation velocities and function was found. Leydig cells from elutriated-and Percoll-purified fractions F4–F8 were heterogeneous with respect to testosterone and cyclic AMP (cAMP) production but showed a similar binding capacity for 125I-labelled human chorionic gonadotrophin. Leydig cells with the highest sedimentation velocity (35·7 mm/h-g) from fractions F7 and F8 were approximately twofold more responsive to LH (3·3 nmol/l) with respect to testosterone and cAMP production compared with Leydig cells with the lowest sedimentation velocity (20·7 mm/h-g). The elutriated and Percoll-purified cells (corresponding to fractions F4–F8) were further purified by incubation with magnetic beads coated with a macrophage monoclonal antibody; this yielded very pure Leydig cells containing <0·3% macrophages. The incubation temperature (room temperature or 4 °C) during the purification with magnetic beads did not affect the degree of purity or the responsiveness of the Leydig cells to LH. The removal of the remaining macrophages with magnetic beads did not have any significant effect on the Leydig cell responsiveness to LH. It was concluded that Leydig cells purified by elutriation and density gradient centrifugation are heterogeneous with respect to their sedimentation velocities and responses to LH; the higher the sedimentation velocity, the higher is their capacity to respond to LH. Leydig cells free from macrophages can be prepared by further purification using magnetic beads coated with a macrophage monoclonal antibody. Journal of Endocrinology (1991) 130, 357–365


1982 ◽  
Vol 203 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Tahara ◽  
Y Maeda ◽  
A Kuroiwa ◽  
K Ueno ◽  
M Obinata ◽  
...  

Storage-protein mRNA was found to be abundant in poly(A)-containing RNA extracted from the fat-body of third-instar larvae of Sarcophaga peregrina (fleshfly). This RNA sedimented at the position of 19S on sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation and the product of its translation in vitro was 75K protein (protein of mol.wt. 75 000), which was precipitated specifically with antibody against storage protein. This product was suggested to contain a signal sequence that is missing in mature storage protein. The poly(A)-containing RNA was also found to contain much of another mRNA coding for 25K protein (protein of mol.wt. 25 000), but the function of this protein is unknown.


1972 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 791-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. Hardingham ◽  
Helen Muir

The kinetics of incorporation of [35S]sulphate into slices of pig laryngeal cartilage in vitro was linear with time up to 6h. The specific radioactivities of the extracted proteoglycans (containing about 80% of the uronic acid of the cartilage) and the glycosaminoglycans remaining in the tissue after extraction were measured after various times of continuous and ‘pulse–chase’ radioactivity incorporation. Radioactivity was present in the isolated chondroitin sulphate after 2 min, but there was a 35min delay in its appearance in the extractable proteoglycan fraction. Fractionation of the proteoglycans by gel chromatography showed that the smallest molecules had the highest specific radioactivity, but ‘pulse–chase’ experiments over 5h did not demonstrate any precursor–product relationships between fractions of different size. Equilibrium density-gradient centrifugation in 4m-guanidine hydrochloride showed that among the proteoglycan fractions the specific radioactivity increased as the chondroitin sulphate content decreased, but with preparations from ‘pulse–chase’ experiments there was again no evidence for precursor–product relationships between the different fractions. Differences in radioactive incorporation would seem to reflect metabolic heterogeneity within the proteoglycans extracted from cartilage. This may be due either to a partial separation of different types of proteoglycans or to differences in the rates of degradation of the molecules of different size and composition as a result of the nature and specificity of the normal degrading enzymes. The results suggest that molecules of all sizes were formed at the same time.


1958 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
SARAH S. HENRY ◽  
H. B. van DYKE

SUMMARY 1. The antibodies produced in rabbits in response to purified preparations of sheep interstitial cell stimulating hormone (ICSH) have been studied by the Ouchterlony technique for the analysis of precipitins. It has been possible to identify the ICSH precipitin in vitro. 2. The antibody to sheep ICSH forms precipitin bands with sheep ICSH and with ox ICSH, but not with hog ICSH or with human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). 3. Antiserum to sheep ICSH, absorbed so that a single demonstrable antibody is present, inhibits the biological effect of sheep and of ox ICSH but not of hog ICSH or of HCG. This antiserum did not interfere with the action of endogenous rat ICSH. 4. There was no cross-reaction demonstrable between the sheep ICSH antigen-antibody system and the pneumococcus polysaccharide type XIV system as has been reported for the antigen-antibody system of HCG. 5. Two attempts to repeat the method of Takeda, Otsuka & Noda [1952] for the preparation of crystalline ox ICSH were unsuccessful.


Endocrinology ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 639-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Michael Conn ◽  
Tsuneo Tsuruhara ◽  
Maria Dufau ◽  
Kevin J. Catt

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Y. Dubé ◽  
Pierre Chapdelaine ◽  
Roland R. Tremblay

The presence of cytoplasmic dihydrotestosterone receptors in the lungs, the comb, the wattle, and the ear lobes of the cock was demonstrated by sucrose density-gradient centrifugation. All these tissues exhibited saturable 'in vitro' binding of dihydrotestosterone in the 8–11S region of the gradient. When 0.5 M KCl was added to the lung, wattle, and comb cytosols and to the gradients, the radioactive dihydrotestosterone migrated in the 4–5S region. These studies suggest that the mechanism of action of androgens in the head appendages of the cock and in other target tissues is similar.


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Hogue ◽  
Alain Asselin

In vitro disassembly of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) strains U1, U2, U4, U6, and U7 with alkali and urea was studied by sucrose or sucrose–dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) density gradient centrifugation and by agarose gel electrophoresis. All strains gave similar decapsidation patterns with both agents when partially stripped virus particles (PSVs) were analyzed by sedimentation and electrophoresis. However, U6 was more sensitive to decapsidation than the other strains and U2 exhibited resistance to decapsidation. Agarose gel electrophoresis of TMV decapsidation products allowed the detection of several classes of PSVs in addition to aggregation products involving PSVs and monomer particles. Agarose gel electrophoresis is thus very rapid and useful for analysis of TMV disassembly products especially when aggregation phenomena and kinetic studies with numerous samples are considered.


1993 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. R1-R4 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Conte ◽  
P. Questino ◽  
S. Fillo ◽  
M. Nordio ◽  
A. Isidori ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of endothelin (ET) on rat testicular steroidogenesis in vitro and the involvement of prostaglandins (PG) and extracellular calcium in its mechanism of action. To this purpose we examined the effects of ET-1 and ET-3 on basal testosterone secretion, the influence of ET-1 on PGE2, release, the interaction of ET-1 and ET-3 with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and the interference of indomethacin (an inhibitor of cycloxygenase) and nifedipine (a calcium-channel blocker) in purified rat Leydig cells. The data indicate that ET-1 and ET-3 stimulate basal and hCG-induced testosterone production although the effects of ET-3 were less marked. In addition, a concomitant release of PGE2, was observed after exposure to ET-1. A sinergistic interaction between ET-1 and hCG in stimulating testicular steroidogenesis was revealed. Indomethacin was ineffective in modifying ET-1 evoked testosterone output, while in the presence of nifedipine the stimulatory effect of ET-1 was completely abolished. Since it has been shown by others that ET-1 is produced by rat Sertoli cells and specific binding sites are present in Leydig cells, the results of our study indicate that such a peptide may be regarded as a new paracrine factor able to influence steroidogenesis in Leydig cells. The action of ET-1 requires the activity of voltage-operated Ca2+ channels, while PGE2 activation is not essential for its steroidogenic effect.


1984 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narendra J. Joshi ◽  
Tarala D. Nandedkar

Abstract. Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)-like activity has been reported in mouse and rabbit blastocysts. The presence of this hCG-like activity seems to be essential for nidation of the pre-implantation embryo. Binding sites for hCG were localised on day 4 mouse embryos by immunohistochemical techniques. Presence of hCG-like activity was confirmed by cytotoxicity test. The number of implantation sites was significantly reduced on day 8 of pregnancy. Prior treatment to day 4 mouse embryos with hCG antiserum, for 1 h in utero or in vitro and their subsequent transfer to uteri of synchronised pseudopregnant mice resulted in impaired implantation of embryos, compared to controls treated with normal rabbit serum (NRS). These results suggest that hCG-like activity present on the pre-implantation embryo may have a significant role in implantation of the embryo.


1986 ◽  
Vol 235 (3) ◽  
pp. 671-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Tangerås

In female rats with porphyria induced by hexachlorobenzene, the amounts of non-haem iron and porphyrins in liver mitochondrial fractions were increased almost 3-fold and greater than 500-fold respectively compared with that of untreated animals. A considerable fraction of both iron and porphyrins in this fraction was shown to be located in lysosomes. Thus mitochondrial preparations, which were further depleted of lysosomes by Percoll-density-gradient centrifugation, contained 2.78 +/- 0.75 and 2.99 +/- 0.49 nmol of non-haem iron/mg of protein when isolated from the liver of control rats and hexachlorobenzene-treated rats respectively. Mitochondria isolated from the liver of hexachlorobenzene-treated animals contained a pool of iron (about 1 nmol/mg of protein) that was available for haem synthesis in vitro. This pool is similar to that previously reported for mitochondria isolated from the liver of rats with normal haem synthesis. Hexachlorobenzene treatment, therefore, does not affect the iron status of the mitochondria.


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