Evidence for insulin synthesis in normal mouse seminal vesicle based on in situ RNA-DNA hybridization

Cultured seminal vesicle epithelial cells exhibited cytoplasmic immunoreactivity following treatment with anti-insulin antisera. In addition, these cultured epithelial cells were found, by in situ hybridization with a radiolabeled insulin complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) probe, to contain an insulin or insulin-like messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). Autoradiograms of the hybridized cells exhibited heavy labeling over the cytoplasm and minimal distribution of grains over the nuclei and background areas. These observations indicate that cultured mouse seminal vesicle epithelium contains an insulin or insulin-like peptide as well as the mRNA that is required for its synthesis.