title: Expression and distribution of inducible nitric oxide synthase in mouse testis.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a simple and relatively unstable radical under physiological conditions. It is synthesized by three isoforms of NO synthase, that is neuronal, endothelial and inducible (iNOS) isoforms. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of iNOS with immunohistochemical methods in the mouse testis. The iNOS-immunoreactivity was detected on the basal region of the seminiferous tubules, where the cytoplasm of Sertoli cells was selectively immunolabeled. This immunoreactivity was observed by both immunofluorescent and immunoenzyme methods. Weak immunoreactivity was detected on the perinuclear cytoplasm of Sertoli cells throughout the seminiferous stages, whereas in stages I-VIII, it was remarkable on the processes of Sertoli cells surrounding the spermatogonia and early spermatocytes, and elongating into the lumina of seminiferous tubules. By reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, mRNA for iNOS was found to be expressed in the mouse testis. These results reveal that iNOS is consistently distributed at the front of the testicular environment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Sciences, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan. y-kon@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kon
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Namiki
authors.forename: Daiji
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Endoh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000201:enzymology*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse