Immunological detection of an oviductal glycoprotein in the rat

In the golden hamster, high-molecular-weight glycoproteins are secreted by the epithelial cells of the oviduct. The present study was designed to investigate the possibility that the rat oviduct produces specific glycoproteins similar to the oviductal glycoproteins (GHOGPs) of the golden hamster. Oviductal extracts and oviductal fluids obtained from ovulatory rats were analysed by immunoblotting for the presence of glycoproteins that cross-react with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against GHOGPs. The MAb immunoreacted with a broad band of proteins with a range of molecular weights (MWs) of above 330 kD in oviductal extracts or oviductal fluid after fractionation by electrophoresis under reducing conditions, but these proteins were not present in serum and uterine flushings. An immunohistochemical study demonstrated that the MAb bound strongly to the epithelial cells of the oviduct and, to a lesser extent, to those of the large intestine. Weak reactions were also observed with some other tissues. However, similar material of high MW was not detected in extracts of tissues from the other organs, suggesting that the glycoprotein of high MW that reacted with the MAb is specific for the oviduct. Ultrastructural immunocytochemistry revealed that the MAb reacted specifically with putative secretory granules of nonciliated cells in the oviductal epithelium. These results indicate that the oviductal epithelial cells of the rat produce a specific glycoprotein that is immunologically similar to GHOGPs.