title: Cytokeratin localization and basal cell differentiation in the epididymal epithelium during postnatal development of the mouse.
abstract: The epididymis is a male genital organ that has plays various functions, including sperm concentration, maturation, and storage. The epididymal epithelium consists of principal cells, clear cells, and basal cells. To comprehensively understand the occurrence and morphological differentiation of basal cells, we examined the expression and localization of cytokeratins (CKs) in the epididymal epithelium during postnatal development of the mouse. Immunohistochemical staining showed that, in adult mice, CK5 and CK14 were exclusively expressed in the cytoplasm of basal cells. During postnatal development, basal cells that stained positive for CK5 and CK14 first appeared in immature columnar epithelial cells in mice aged 1 week. The immunoreactivity became progressively stronger in mice aged 2-3 weeks. In mice aged 3 weeks, the immunoreactivity was strong in regions IV and V. In mice aged ≥ 4 weeks, strong immunoreactivity was observed in all epididymal regions. CK5 and CK14 could be useful markers of differentiation in epididymal basal cells. These basal cells originate from immature columnar epithelial cells and are of two types—dome-shaped and flask-shaped—. The flask-shaped cells are mainly located in the initial segment of the mouse epididymis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kumamoto University.
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Kana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakuda
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshinaga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL
chemical_list: D007633:Keratins