title: Antigenic homogeneity of male Müllerian gland (MG) secretory proteins of a caecilian amphibian with secretory proteins of the mammalian prostate gland and seminal vesicles: evidence for role of the caecilian MG as a male accessory reproductive gland.
abstract: Whereas in all other vertebrates the Müllerian ducts of genetic males are aborted during development, under the influence of Müllerian-inhibiting substance, in the caecilian amphibians they are retained as a pair of functional glands. It has long been speculated that the Müllerian gland might be the male accessory reproductive gland but there has been no direct evidence to this effect. The present study was undertaken to determine whether the caecilian Müllerian gland secretory proteins would bear antigenic similarity to secretory proteins of the prostate gland and/or the seminal vesicles of a mammal. The secretory proteins of the Müllerian gland of Ichthyophis tricolor were evaluated for cross-reactivity with antisera raised against rat ventral prostate and seminal vesicle secretory proteins, adopting SDS-PAGE, two-dimensional electrophoresis and immunoblot techniques. Indeed there was a cross-reaction of five Müllerian gland secretory protein fractions with prostatic protein antiserum and of three with seminal vesicle protein antiserum. A potential homology exists because in mammals the middle group of the prostate primordia is derived from a diverticulum of the Müllerian duct. Thus this study, by providing evidence for expression of prostatic and seminal vesicle proteins in the Müllerian gland, substantiates the point that in caecilians the Müllerian glands are the male accessory reproductive glands.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, India.
authors.forename: Arumugam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Radha
authors.affiliation: Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram 695014, India.
authors.forename: Sreesha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sree
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, India.
authors.forename: Kunnathodi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Faisal
authors.affiliation: Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram 695014, India.
authors.forename: G Pradeep
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695581, India.
authors.forename: Oommen V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Oommen
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, India. Electronic address: akbarbdu@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mohammad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Akbarsha
mesh_terms: D000663:Amphibians / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D005088:Exocrine Glands / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000378:metabolism; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007106:Immune Sera
keywords: Caecilians; Müllerian gland; Prostate gland; Secretory proteins; Seminal vesicles