Oviductal epithelium of the baboon: Hormonal control and the immuno‐gold localization of oviduct‐specific glycoproteins

Abstract

Oviducts were obtained from a series of cycling and ovariectomized steroid-treated baboons. The lining epithelium of the ampulla and isthmus was analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Both morphological and cytomorphometric analyses revealed that the morphological and functional state of the oviductal epithelium in the baboon is controlled by the ovarian steroids. Additionally, a clear cephalocaudal steroid-responsive gradient was observed when the data from the ampulla and isthmus of the same animal were compared. Within the ampulla, estradiol induced hypertrophy, hyperplasia, ciliogenesis, and secretory activity, whereas adding progesterone to the treatment regimen (+/- estradiol) resulted in atrophy, deciliation, apoptosis, and loss of the secretory activity. These cyclic processes were less evident in the isthmus. We also used an indirect electron microscopic immunogold technique and a previously characterized polyclonal antibody to determine the localization of oviduct-specific glycoproteins. These glycoproteins were present in every secretory granule observed, regardless of oviduct region, electron density, or size of the secretory granule. In summary, our data show that 1) estradiol induces and maintains the mature epithelium of the baboon oviduct, 2) steroid withdrawal or the administration of progesterone causes regression of the epithelium, and 3) the previously identified estradiol-dependent oviduct-specific glycoproteins are synthesized within and released from the secretory epithelial cells.

Oviductins possess chitinase‐ and mucin‐like domains: A lead in the search for the biological function of these oviduct‐specific ZP‐associating glycoproteins

“…Estrogen treatment of ovariectomized animals can also restore oviductin production (Oliphant et al, 1984a;Buhi et al, ,1992Verhage et al, 1989Verhage et al, , 1990. The cyclical variations of oviductin synthesis and secretion in other mammals are more subtle, possibly because of the shorter duration of their ovarian cycles.…”

“…However, regional differences in oviductin secretion along the oviduct have been reported using immunoelectron microscopy. In species such as the mouse (Kapur and Johnson, 1988), sheep (Gandolfi et al, 1991;Murray, 19921, and gilt (Buhi et al, 1993), immunocytolocalization of oviductin molecules appears to be restricted to the ampullary segment whereas it also occurs in the isthmic epithelium ofthe rabbit (Oliphant et al, 1984a) and baboon (Verhage et al, 1990) oviduct. The synthesis and secretion of sheep oviductin by the fimbrial segment of the oviduct were demonstrated by immunodetection of radiolabeled culture media of fimbrial explants resolved on Western blots (Murray, 1993), while the presence of mouse oviductin molecules into a subpopulation of the noncilated epithelial cells of the infundibulum was visualized using immunoelectron microscopy (Kapur and Johnson, 1988).…”

“…These authors identified three concentric layers, showing a variable degree of immunogold labeling (with the middle layer being more intensely labeled), using a n anti-oviductin monoclonal antibody (MAb) shown elsewhere to recognize a glucidic epitope (Abe et al, 1992). The association of oviductin molecules with the oocyte/embryo follows species-dependent patterns: deposition as a thick extracellular mucinous layer (Shapiro et al, 1974), exclusive sequestration in the PV space (Kapur and Johnson, 1988), nonexclusive association with the vitelline membrane and PV space (Boice et al, 199Ob;Abe and Oikawa, 1990;Gandolfi et al, 1991;Boice et al, 1992Kan et al, 1993), intracytoplasmic localization (Boice et al, 1990;Buhi et al, 1993) as well as specific associations with the extracellular matrix overlying cellular junctions (Murray and Messinger, 1994) and endocytic compartments (Kan et al, 1993) of the blastomeres were observed. The immunocytochemical localization of oviductins within specific cellular structures even varies depending upon the maturation states of the oocytel embryo (Kan et al, 1993).…”

Human fallopian tube epithelium co-culture with murine ovarian follicles reveals crosstalk in the reproductive cycle

“…cell function) and OVGP1 expression (representing secretory cell function) (Verhage et al, 1990;Mahmood et al, 1998;Shao et al, 2007). Cilia beating frequency [CBF] significantly increased with E 2 treatment and decreased upon the addition of P 4 ( Fig.…”

Influence of Estrogen and Progesterone on Ultrastructural Indices of Oviductal Epithelium in Sexually Immature Mice

“…In bovine oviducts Uhrín (1992) found the highest values of the epithelium height during proestrus and estrus (37.3 µm); in metestrus and diestrus the height was decreased (35.8 and 29.9 µm). Verhage et al (1990) have recorded cells between 31-39 µm in the follicular phase and 19-32 µm in the luteal phase in a baboon. The differences in height of hormonally treated and non-treated oviductal epithelium exhibited the same trends in our experiments.…”