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PROTEINS OF THE SEMINIFEROUS TUBULE FLUID IN MAN—EVIDENCE FOR A BLOOD—TESTIS BARRIER

Summary.: Seminiferous tubule fluid was collected by micropuncture from ten human testes immediately after orchidectomy and subjected to high resolution step gradient acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protein patterns of the fluid were compared with those of serum and intratesticular lymph. The seminiferous tubule fluid always contained a number of proteins not seen in serum or in testicular lymph and a few proteins which were electrophoretically identical with those in serum. The bulk of these relatively weak serum bands consisted of albumin. Disturbance of spermatogenesis did not influence either the appearance of specific proteins or the degree of serum contamination.

The present results are interpreted to mean that in man, as in animals, there is an effective blood—testis barrier. The specific proteins of the seminiferous tubules may be elaborated by Sertoli cells.