Parr M B, Ren H P, Russell L D, Prins G S, Parr E L
School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901.
Biol Reprod. 1992 Dec;47(6):1031-9. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod47.6.1031.
The occurrence and possible functions of mucosal immunity in the male urogenital tract have not been extensively investigated. In this study we used immunolabeling to localize secretory component (SC) and immunoglobulin (Ig) A in the urogenital tract of the male mouse. SC was located in the ventral prostate, while SC and IgA plasma cells were both detected in the urethral glands in the pelvic and bulbous portions of the urethra. SC and IgA were not observed elsewhere in the urogenital tract. We also examined the ventral prostate and urethral glands of sham-castrated, oil-treated castrated, and testosterone-treated castrated mice. There was a striking reduction in the size of the ventral prostate and urethral glands in oil-treated castrates compared to the other two groups, based on gross and histological morphology. Morphometric analysis showed that the cell and nuclear sizes of the urethral gland acinar cells were reduced after castration and restored to normal size by testosterone treatment. Androgen receptors (AR) were localized in the nuclei of urethral gland cells by immunocytochemistry using anti-AR antibodies. Labeling of SC and IgA plasma cells was similar in the urethral glands and ventral prostates of sham- and testosterone-treated castrates, but was reduced or absent at these sites in oil-treated castrates. These studies show that the ventral prostate and urethral glands may be sites for secretory immunity in the male murine urogenital tract, and that the urethral glands are targets for testosterone.
男性泌尿生殖道黏膜免疫的发生及可能功能尚未得到广泛研究。在本研究中，我们运用免疫标记法在雄性小鼠的泌尿生殖道中定位分泌成分（SC）和免疫球蛋白（Ig）A。SC位于腹侧前列腺，而在尿道盆腔部和球部的尿道腺中同时检测到了SC和IgA浆细胞。在泌尿生殖道的其他部位未观察到SC和IgA。我们还检查了假阉割、油处理阉割及睾酮处理阉割小鼠的腹侧前列腺和尿道腺。基于大体和组织形态学，与其他两组相比，油处理阉割小鼠的腹侧前列腺和尿道腺大小显著减小。形态计量分析显示，阉割后尿道腺腺泡细胞的细胞和核大小减小，而睾酮处理可使其恢复至正常大小。通过使用抗雄激素受体（AR）抗体进行免疫细胞化学检测，发现AR定位于尿道腺细胞的细胞核中。在假阉割和睾酮处理阉割小鼠的尿道腺和腹侧前列腺中，SC和IgA浆细胞的标记情况相似，但在油处理阉割小鼠的这些部位，标记减少或缺失。这些研究表明，腹侧前列腺和尿道腺可能是雄性小鼠泌尿生殖道中分泌免疫的部位，且尿道腺是睾酮的作用靶点。
