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Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Analysis of Epididymal Protein Synthesis and Secretion
Published on: August 25, 2018
Different expression of B7-H3 in the caput, corpus, and cauda of the epididymis in mouse
Kai Li1, Xuedong Wei1, Guangbo Zhang2
1Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, NO.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China.
Background:
B7-H3, a member of the B7 family of the Ig superfamily of proteins, has been detected in the epididymis, which is a storage organ related to sperm maturation. However, the characteristics of its expression in different regions of the epididymis remain unknown. Our aim was to investigate the expression of B7-H3 in the caput, corpus, and cauda of the epididymis.
Methods:
We extracted epididymis specimens from adult male C57BL/6 mice. The expression of B7-H3 was then measured with immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting.
Results:
B7-H3 protein was predominantly detected on the membrane and in the cytoplasm of the principal cells in the epididymis. Moreover, the level of B7-H3 in the corpus of the mouse epididymis was significantly higher than that in the caput (p < 0.05) or the cauda of the epididymis (P < 0.05). However, there was no remarkable difference in the level of B7-H3 between the caput and the cauda (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
The caput, corpus, and cauda of the mouse epididymis all expressed B7-H3 protein. However, the levels of B7-H3 were different in the three regions of the epididymis.
