Postnatal developmental study and expression of immobilin and sulfated glycoprotein-2 in the rat epididymis

The postnatal changes in the various epithelial cell types of the different regions of the epididymis at the level of electron microscope (EM), and the expression of various secretory proteins has not been well characterized in developing rats. In this context, Epon embedded epididymides at postnatal days 21, 39, 49, and 56 were examined under the light and electron microscope. Furthermore, expression of two secretory proteins, namely sulfated glycoprotein-2 and immobilin, well characterized in adult animals, were immunolocalized using paraffin sections at various postnatal ages i.e. 7, 15, 21, 28, 39, 49, and 56. The latter was performed to examine the influence of testicular products, such as Sertoli cell derived factors (androgen binding protein), luminal and circulating androgens, degenerating germ cells, and spermatozoa appearing at different postnatal ages, on the morphological differentiation of the epithelial cells and expression of these proteins by these cells. (Abstract shortened by UMI.