부산대학교 도서관

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpc.2005.01.013 Byline: Kyle W. Selcer (a), Stacy Smith (a), Jeffrey W. Clemens (a), Brent D. Palmer (b) Keywords: Androgen receptor; Female reproductive tract; Oviduct; Steroid hormone receptors; Trachemys scripta; Turtle Abstract: Circulating androgens reach high concentrations in females of some reptiles and amphibians. We are testing the hypothesis that androgens can act directly in female reptilian reproductive tissues, via the androgen receptor. In this study, we sought to determine if androgen receptors are present in the oviduct of the turtle, Trachemys scripta, using radioligand-binding assays and immunological assays. An androgen-binding site was detected in turtle oviductal cytosol and oviductal nuclear extract by radioligand binding assay, using.sup.3H-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) as the ligand. This site was saturable (B.sub.max=11 pmol/g tissue), had a high affinity (10.sup.-10 M), and showed specificity typical of androgen receptors (DHT>testosterone, progesteronea'estradiol, cortisol). Western blotting using an anti-androgen receptor antibody revealed a band of immunoreactivity in oviductal cytosol at approximately 115 kDa, and a more prominent band at 50 kDa, possibly indicating a truncated form of the androgen receptor. Immunohistochemistry revealed crossreactivity of the androgen receptor antibody against oviductal glandular cells but not against oviductal luminal epithelial or muscularis cells. The presence of androgen receptor in the turtle oviduct suggests that androgens have a role in female reproduction and that their action can be mediated directly by androgen receptor. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA (b) Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA Article History: Received 21 October 2004; Revised 12 January 2005; Accepted 16 January 2005