The Nature of Tissular Antigens, With Particular Reference to Autosensitization and Transplantation Immunity

Immunological damage induced by iso-immunization of guinea-pigs with testis in adjuvant is most readily observed in the rete testis and vasa efferentia and is less frequently present in the testis and epididymis. Possible reasons for the greater vulnerability of the rete testis and vasa efferentia are discussed. The testis shows interstitial inflammation and an invasion of tubules by eosinophils and mononuclear cells. The tubular barrier to acriflavine, and possibly also to \g=g\-globulin,partially breaks down during the invasive phase of initial damage but is restored before normal spermatogenesis is re-established. It is suggested that the occurrence of testicular damage is dependent upon the immune response, of whatever type(s), overcoming the protective effect of the blood-testis barrier.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Changes in the Blood-Testis Barrier of the Guinea-Pig in Relation to Histological Damage Following Iso-Immunization With Testis

Johnson¹

1970

“…As compared by and Shulman, Heckman & Pann (1971) Cytotoxicity. The main point to be discussed in the classical cytotoxicity test used in our study is the presence in guinea-pig complement (unheated whole serum) of natural spermatotoxic antibodies, the activity ofwhich is thermolabile (Spooner, 1964;Monastirsky & Fernandez Collazo, 1968 (Voisin, Delaunay & Barber, 1951;Freund, Lipton & Thompson, 1953;Voisin, Toullet & Maurer, 1958;Baum, Bough ton, Mongar & Schild, 1961;Brown, Glynn & Holborow, 1963;Mancini, Monastirsky, Fernandez Collazo, Seiguer & Alonso, 1969;Johnson, 1970). Autoimmune spermagglutination has also been studied as well as cytotoxicity for testicular cells (Chutná & Rychlíková, 1964;Chutná & Pokorná, 1967;Mancini et al, 1969;Johnson, 1970).…”

Section: Absorption Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spermatotoxic, Spermagglutinating and Cytotoxic Activities of Guinea-Pig Autoantibodies to Sperm Autoantigen T

Toullet¹,

Voisin²

1974

Self Cite

Summary. Sera from guinea-pigs immunized with their own spermatozoa or with purified preparations of three different guinea-pig sperm autoantigens (S, P and T) were tested for their spermatotoxic and cytotoxic (towards immature sperm cells) properties in the presence of complement, as well as for their spermagglutinating properties. Autoimmune and anti-T sera exhibited the three properties with a high degree of tridimensional correlation. Anti-S and anti-P sera did not exhibit any of the three properties. The three properties could be specifically absorbed by T but not by S or P autoantigens. While P/anti-P and T/anti-T are both complement-fixing systems, only T is present at the cell surface and only anti-T will fix on living sperm cells. The biological and immunopathological consequences of the preceding results are discussed in relation to the ability of each one of the three sperm autoantigens to induce an autoimmune aspermatogenic orchitis.

“…Spermatozoa of several species did not cross-react with isoantibodies against guinea-pig spermatozoa in the present experiment, though hamster spermatozoa apparently 108 J. Swanson Beck et al did do so. Using different techniques, previous workers have also shown that such isoantibodies did not cross-react with spermatozoa from mice, rats and boars (Voisin, Toullet & Maurer, 1958;Baum et al, 1961). However, the fluorescent antibody technique may be too insensitive to detect such reactions, since Voisin et al (1958) did find a cross-reaction between guinea-pig iso¬ antibodies and rabbit spermatozoa using passive cutaneous anaphylaxis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Positive results with techniques such as passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, complement fixation, sperm agglutination, sperm immobiliza¬ tion, precipitins, haemagglutination, etc., which have been used by several workers to demonstrate isoantibodies after immunization with spermatozoa (e.g. Freund et al, 1953Freund et al, , 1954Voisin et al, 1958;Baum et al, 1961), are probably due in part to induced antibodies against the sperm tail. The reaction between serum and the acrosome may be related to two other reactions in¬ volving hyaluronidase or the acrosome.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immune Fluorescence Technique and the Isoantigenicity of Mammalian Spermatozoa

Beck¹,

Edwards²,

Young³

1962

The immune fluorescence technique has been used to study reactions between serum and spermatozoa from several species of mammals.Normal serum from adult guinea-pigs, rabbits, mice and men stained the acrosomes of homologous and heterologous spermatozoa, staining being most intense with rabbit and guinea-pig spermatozoa. Staining was weak with sera from rabbits up to 3 weeks of age, and could be removed by heating or Seitz-filtering the sera. Sera from immature guinea-pigs likewise lost most of their staining capacity on heating. Differences in the intensity of staining appeared to be determined chiefly by the species of spermatozoa rather than by the species of serum. Serum from guinea-pigs immunized with homologous spermatozoa stained the surface of homologous sperm tails, in addition to the acrosomal staining. A slight cross-reaction probably occurred between this serum and the tails of hamster spermatozoa, but not with spermatozoa from other species. Immunization of rabbits with homologous spermatozoa failed to produce any tail staining.The two reactions between serum and spermatozoa, i.e. with acrosomes and tails, are discussed in relation to the isoantigenicity of spermatozoa, and to induced aspermatogenesis following the injection of testis or spermatozoa and adjuvant.