FIG. 1. A plasmablast 6 days after injection of antigen. Cytoplasm contains flat profiles of the RER and plasma membrane is smooth. Approximately X 32,000.FIG. 2. A portion of a plasmablast, Parts of peripheral cytoplasm appear to be pinched off by a series of surface membrane vesiculations, the beginning of microclasmatosis. Agproximately X 32,000. FIG. 3. A photograph of a few small pieces of the liberated cytoplasm located i n interstices of lJiplenic cord. Approximakely X 42,600.
FIG. 4.A photograph taken from a region adjaccnt to that depicted in Fig. 3. It &OW6 one of the larger chunks of cytoplasm. antibody response to bovine gamma globulin. Many of the resulting plasma cells were found to produce a series of vesicles by membrane invaginations which surrounded small pieces of the rough-surfaced endolplasmic reticulum (RER). By coalescence of these vesicles, chunks of cytoplasm containing the RER appeared to be liberated from the plasmacytic cells. The process, microclasmatosis, was postulated to represent one physiological way of release and transport of formed antibody globulins.Wainman and Shipounoff reported ( 1 ) that the 3 muscles of the perineal complex in the male rat described by Greene( 2) regressed after castration and were stimulated by androgen administration. Eisenberg and Gordan(3) and Hershberger et aZ(4) developed tests for the myotrophic effects of androgens in rats using the response of one of the perineal muscles, the levator ani.In rats, estrogens are catabolic( 5) , increase fecal nitrogen (6), and limited studies a t single dose levels indicated that they were not myotrophic in the levator ani test (3,4).The present report is concerned primarily with the effects of estrogens on the perineal muscles of mice, and also extends the observations on the effects of estrogens in the rat test for myo trophic activity .
Material and methods.Immature male albino mice from Simonsen Laboratories, Gil-roy, Calif., were castrated at 22 to 23 days of age. Three weeks later they were injected subcutaneously for 10 days with solutions or suspensions of compounds in olive oil. On the day following the last injection, the mice were sacrificed and the perineal muscle complex was removed and weighed. For estimation of water content of the muscles, they were dried for 48 hours at 65"C, weighed again, and the percentage of water calculated.Hypophysectomies were done one to two days prior to administration of stilbestrol. Adrenalectomies were done the day stilbestrol injections were begun, and the mice were maintained on saline ad lib or saline ad lib plus 0.02 mg cortisone acetateJday administered subcutaneously.In studying the effect of estrogens on the levator ani muscle in rats, the method of Hershberger et aZ( 4) was employed, except at UNIV OF MICHIGAN on July 5, 2015 ebm.sagepub.com Downloaded from
