Abstract
Testicular feminization (Tfm) is an inherited form of male pseudohermaphroditism. In the rat, this syndrome is manifested by an absence of androgen dependent differentiation, small cryptorchid testes and infertility. Previous studies in our laboratory had established that cryptorchid testes of these rats showed drastically reduced zinc content and failure of zinc retention. The present studies attempt to further characterize this aberrant metabolism of zinc in the Tfm rats. Testes from normal littermates were used as control in all experiments. Distribution of endogenous zinc in the testicular cytosol was examined by chromatography through a Sephadex G-75 column (1.5×90 cm) equilibrated with 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0. Both zinc content and 280 nm absorbance of fractions collected were determined. Normal control testes showed typically four zinc peaks: peak 1 at void volume, peak 2 corresponded to Mr 30k, peak 3 corresponded to Mr 10k and peak 4 at the wash volume. Peak 2, however, was missing when cytosol of cryptorchid testes of the Tfm rats were analyzed. Column fractions corresponding to zinc peak 2 of the cryptorchid and normal control testes were pooled and concentrated separately and examined by electrophoresis through 12% polyacrylamide gel containing 0.1% SDS. A protein band with Mr 23k was missing in the cryptorchid testes. Whether the missing protein of the cryptorchid testis was related to the absence of zinc peak 2 and the decreased testicular zinc content in the Tfm rat is under further investigation. (Supported in part by NIH grant HD 16730).
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Bates, J., Chan, WY., Chung, K. et al. 234 ABERRANT ZINC BINDING IN TESTES OF TESTICULAR FEMINIZATION RATS. Pediatr Res 19, 149 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-00264
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-00264