[Differential regulation of antagglutinin secretion in pig epididymis: an immunocytochemistry study]

Antagglutinin, a specific protein synthesized by the boar epididymis, was localized in all the principal cells of the initial segment, of the caput and of the corpus but was not detectable in the caudal cells. Castration completely abolished the synthesis and secretion of antagglutin in all the epididymal cells. Androgen treatment led to (1) the restoration of antagglutinin secretion in the caput (middle and distal) and in the corpus, (2) the failure to restore the secretion in the initial segment and in the proximal caput and (3) the emergence of a new secretion of antagglutinin by the caudal cells. These results suggest that (1) antagglutinin is an androgen-dependent protein and (2) the epithelial cells from different segments have differential regulatory mechanisms.