title: Different expression of B7-H3 in the caput, corpus, and cauda of the epididymis in mouse.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  B7-H3, a member of the B7 family of the Ig superfamily of proteins, has been detected in the epididymis, which is a storage organ related to sperm maturation. However, the characteristics of its expression in different regions of the epididymis remain unknown. Our aim was to investigate the expression of B7-H3 in the caput, corpus, and cauda of the epididymis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We extracted epididymis specimens from adult male C57BL/6 mice. The expression of B7-H3 was then measured with immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  B7-H3 protein was predominantly detected on the membrane and in the cytoplasm of the principal cells in the epididymis. Moreover, the level of B7-H3 in the corpus of the mouse epididymis was significantly higher than that in the caput (p < 0.05) or the cauda of the epididymis (P < 0.05). However, there was no remarkable difference in the level of B7-H3 between the caput and the cauda (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The caput, corpus, and cauda of the mouse epididymis all expressed B7-H3 protein. However, the levels of B7-H3 were different in the three regions of the epididymis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xuedong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO. 708 Renmin Road, Suzhou, 215006, China.
authors.forename: Guangbo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xuefeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Chenhao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China. xf192@163.com.
authors.forename: Jianquan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China. YHXurology@163.com.
authors.forename: Hexing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060887:B7 Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004822:Epididymis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL
chemical_list: D060887:B7 Antigens; C486038:Cd276 protein, mouse
keywords: B7-H3; Caput; Cauda; Corpus; Epididymis; Mouse; Sperm maturation