Cell & Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Medicine , Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2011 Jul;14(4):349-53.
Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a member of the ß-galactoside-binding lectins which is expressed in a variety of tissues and plays a role in diverse biological events, such as embryogenesis, adhesion, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis. In this study, the presence and distribution of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in the mouse testicular tissue was investigated.
Eight adult NMRI mice were used in this study. Animals were sacrificed by decapitation under ether anesthesia. The testes were excised, fixed in 10% buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin for immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. H-score, a semi-quantitative method, was used for scaling the immunostaining.
Positive immunoreactivity to Gal-3 was detected in the connective tissues of the interstitium, Leydig cells and presumably peritubular myoid cells. Seminiferous tubules showed immuno-positive reaction in a stage dependent manner. Stages I-III and IX-XII of spermatogenic cycle showed mild immunostaining, while moderate immunostaining was observed at stages IV-VI. Highest immunoreactivity was observed at stages VII-VIII. H-score assessment showed a significant increase in stages of VII-VIII in comparison to other stages (P< 0.05).
Expression of Gal-3 in interstitial tissue and seminiferous tubules indicated that this protein probably has multifunctional roles in the mouse testicular tissue.
半乳糖凝集素-3（Gal-3）是一种 β-半乳糖苷结合凝集素家族成员，在多种组织中表达，在胚胎发生、黏附、细胞增殖和细胞凋亡等多种生物学事件中发挥作用。本研究旨在探讨 Gal-3 在小鼠睾丸组织中的存在和分布。
本研究使用了 8 只成年 NMRI 小鼠。动物在乙醚麻醉下断头处死。切除睾丸，用 10%缓冲福尔马林固定，石蜡包埋用于免疫组织化学（IHC）研究。采用 H 评分（H-score）半定量方法对免疫染色进行评分。
Gal-3 在间质的结缔组织、Leydig 细胞和可能的小管周肌样细胞中呈阳性免疫反应。生精小管的免疫阳性反应呈阶段性依赖。精子发生周期的 I-III 期和 IX-XII 期显示轻度免疫染色，而 IV-VI 期显示中度免疫染色。VII-VIII 期的免疫反应最强。H 评分评估显示，与其他阶段相比，VII-VIII 期的免疫反应显著增加（P<0.05）。
Gal-3 在间质组织和生精小管中的表达表明，该蛋白在小鼠睾丸组织中可能具有多种功能作用。
