The epididymis is the site for the transport, maturation and storage of spermatozoa. It is well established that epididymal structure and function are dependent on the testis for circulating androgens and factors in luminal fluid. Using cDNA microarrays, our objective is to characterize the expression of genes that are regulated over the first week post-orchidectomy in the epididymis of the adult Brown Norway rat. We describe four patterns of gene expression that are simultaneously activated in the epididymis after orchidectomy. We identify potential androgen-dependent genes including glutathione S-transferases and calcium-binding proteins, as well as potential androgen-repressed genes such as glutathione peroxidase-1. The expression of heat shock proteins, cyclins, and apoptosis-associated genes are described in the epididymis after orchidectomy. These results form the first comprehensive analysis of testis-regulated gene expression in the epididymis. This study is the first to demonstrate that gene expression is differentially regulated in the epididymis after orchidectomy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.78357 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Ezer, Nadine |
| Contributors | Robaire, Bernard (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001974443, proquestno: AAIMQ88192, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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