Androgen-regulated epididymal secretory proteins associated with post-testicular sperm development.

A considerable body of information has now been assembled with regard to the major androgen-dependent secretory proteins of the rat epididymis. The proteins have been purified, specific antibodies have been developed against them, and their primary structure has been determined from cDNA clones. The antibody and cDNA probes have, in turn, been used to study the androgenic regulation of the synthesis and secretion of the proteins, the distribution of the proteins in various tissues and animal species, and the association of the proteins with the sperm surface during epididymal maturation. Despite this intensive effort, the precise physiological functions of the proteins still remain obscure, although circumstantial evidence indicates that glycoproteins D and E may be associated with surface receptors responsible for gamete recognition. Elucidation of the physiological roles of the proteins is clearly the area that warrants the greatest attention in future work.