Genital tract proteins in the male rabbit: I. Localization of uteroglobin

Abstract

Uteroglobin synthesis in reproductive and non-reproductive tissues of male and female rabbit was screened by means of double-diffusion tests and immunohistochemical studies. Immunoprecipitates were observed when homogenates of male accessory were incubated with a monospecific antiserum against uteroglobin; in the female the antigen occurred in the uterine secretion and in homogenates of the oviduct, six days post coitum. In nonreproductive tissue, the antigen appeared both in the male and in the female, in the homogenate of trachea and lung. The immunofluorescence technique exhibited the paraprostate gland as the site of synthesis of uteroglobin in the male genital tract. Moreover, the distribution of the fluorescence within the cells was identical to the distribution observed in the female genital tract.