title: Sex and strain differences of mouse variant salivary proteins.
abstract: Proteins of the mouse saliva are resolved into about 20 discrete bands by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Sexual dimorphism and monomorphism were found in a subset (Msp-1) of these salivary proteins from different inbred strains. This sexual dimorphism involves a fast moving band (F-type) and a slow moving one (S-type). Mature males of seven strains (A/J, AKR, CBA/J, C3H/HeN, A/Sn, B10.A, and B10.BR) exhibit the S phenotype while mature females of these strains were typed as F. Sexually immature males and females of these strains were uniformly typed as F, but at puberty (5-6 weeks of age) the phenotype of the males switched to type S, while the phenotype of the females remained the same. This switch to type S at puberty did not take place in males of four strains (BALB/cAnn, B10.D2, C57BL/6, and C57BL/10); therefore, we conclude that these strains were sexually monomorphic with regard to Msp-1. The phenotype of mature males of C3H/HeN reverted to type F following castration, whereas castrated males and mature females switched to type S in response to testosterone administration. The testosterone treatment had no effect on the type S phenotype of males and females of the sexually monomorphic BALB/cAnn strain. The male-specific type S phenotype of Msp-1 was seen only in mice with H-2 haplotype a or k; thus an association with H-2 haplotype was suggested. All F1 males of reciprocal crosses involving the sexually dimorphic and monomorphic strains (e.g., C3H/HeN X BALB/cAnn) demonstrated the type S phenotype at puberty.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000235:genetics*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013045:Species Specificity; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D006183:H-2 Antigens; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides; D013739:Testosterone