title: Immunolocalization of galectin-3 in mouse testicular tissue.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a member of the ß-galactoside-binding lectins which is expressed in a variety of tissues and plays a role in diverse biological events, such as embryogenesis, adhesion, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis. In this study, the presence and distribution of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in the mouse testicular tissue was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight adult NMRI mice were used in this study. Animals were sacrificed by decapitation under ether anesthesia. The testes were excised, fixed in 10% buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin for immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. H-score, a semi-quantitative method, was used for scaling the immunostaining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive immunoreactivity to Gal-3 was detected in the connective tissues of the interstitium, Leydig cells and presumably peritubular myoid cells. Seminiferous tubules showed immuno-positive reaction in a stage dependent manner. Stages I-III and IX-XII of spermatogenic cycle showed mild immunostaining, while moderate immunostaining was observed at stages IV-VI. Highest immunoreactivity was observed at stages VII-VIII. H-score assessment showed a significant increase in stages of VII-VIII in comparison to other stages (P< 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expression of Gal-3 in interstitial tissue and seminiferous tubules indicated that this protein probably has multifunctional roles in the mouse testicular tissue.
authors.affiliation: Cell & Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Medicine , Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Layasadat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Khorsandi
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orazizadeh
keywords: Galectin-3; Lectin; Mice; Testis