This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Moore, H. D. M. Articles by Smith, C. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Moore, H. D. M. Articles by Smith, C. A.

In-vitro culture of hamster epididymal epithelium and induction of sperm motility

Summary. Epithelium from the proximal corpus region of the epididymis of adult hamsters was cultured in modified RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with growth factors and androgens at 37°C in 5% CO₂ in air. Prepared plaques of epithelium formed spheres of tissue with epithelial cells outermost. At the light and electron microscope level, these epithelial balls displayed morphology consistent with continued secretory and absorptive function. After 3–5 days, cultured cells either plated out over the bottom of plastic wells or formed vesicles which expanded as their interior became fluid filled.

Spermatozoa recovered from the caput epididymidis were co-cultured with epithelium. After 8 and 24 h, a proportion of spermatozoa (30%) exhibited slow but persistent flagellum beats with slow progressive motility. Spermatozoa in control incubations were immotile. This change in motility pattern would suggest that some sperm maturation processes had occurred in vitro.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Suzuki, Y. Araki, M.-Y. Zhu, J.-J. Lareyre, R. J. Matusik, and M.-C. Orgebin-Crist The 5'-Flanking Region of the Murine Epididymal Protein of 17 Kilodaltons Gene Targets Transgene Expression in the Epididymis Endocrinology, March 1, 2003; 144(3): 877 - 886. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Maiti, J. Doskow, S. Li, R. P. Nhim, J. S. Lindsey, and M. F. Wilkinson The Pem Homeobox Gene. ANDROGEN-DEPENDENT AND -INDEPENDENT PROMOTERS AND TISSUE-SPECIFIC ALTERNATIVE RNA SPLICING J. Biol. Chem., July 19, 1996; 271(29): 17536 - 17546. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]