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Fine needle aspiration of seminal vesicles: aspects of normal seminal cells.

Seminal vesicle cytology was studied in 18 patients admitted with diseases of the prostate, in whom fine needle aspiration by transrectal route was performed. Three cell-types are described: principal, basal and degenerative forms. Nuclear and cytoplasmic peculiarities of the principal and basal cells are revealed, discussing their value in the differential diagnosis from well-differentiated carcinoma of the prostate. It is emphasized the importance of pseudoatypical aspects of seminal cells--considered as a source for false positive results in FNAB of the prostate.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Induction of functional cytodifferentiation in the epithelium of tissue recombinants. I. Homotypic seminal vesicle recombinants.

Functional cytodifferentiation of seminal vesicle epithelium was investigated in tissue recombinants. Neonatal rat and mouse seminal vesicles were separated into epithelium and mesenchyme using trypsin. Epithelium and mesenchyme were then recombined in vitro to form interspecific rat/mouse homotypic recombinants. Growth as renal grafts in adult male athymic mice resulted in seminal vesicle morphogenesis in 70% of the recombinants (the remaining 30% failed to grow). Functional cytodifferentiation was judged by the expression of the major androgen-dependent secretory proteins characteristic of the seminal vesicles of adult rats and mice. Antibodies specific for each of these proteins were used to screen tissue sections by immunocytochemistry and to probe protein extracts by immunoblotting techniques. The heterospecific recombinants synthesized the full range of seminal vesicle secretory proteins that typifies the species providing the epithelium of the recombinant, not the mesenchyme. There was little functional variation between individual recombinants. The time course of development corresponded to that of intact neonatal seminal vesicles grown under the same conditions. Morphogenesis and functional cytodifferentiation were not evident after one week, but were well advanced after two weeks. Seminal vesicle recombinants grown for three weeks were indistinguishable morphologically and functionally from normal adult seminal vesicles. In addition, the ability of adult seminal vesicle epithelium to be induced to proliferate was examined. In association with neonatal seminal vesicle mesenchyme, the epithelium of the adult seminal vesicle proliferated and retained its normal functional activity. Thus, seminal vesicle functional cytodifferentiation can be faithfully reproduced in homotypic tissue recombinants. The methods used in this study will be used to investigate seminal vesicle development in instructive inductions of heterotypic epithelia.

Animals↗

Testosterone and 6-N,2'-O-dibutyryladenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate stimulate protein and lysosomal enzyme secretion in rat seminal vesicle.

Rat seminal-vesicle secretion was studied in vitro in a slice-incubation system. Seminal-vesicle slices were preincubated with 32Pi for 15 min, rinsed, and incubated in an isotope-free 'chase' medium for up to 4h. Gland slices spontaneously discharged protein, three lysosomal hydrolases and trichloroacetic acid-insoluble 32P into the medium in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. Testosterone (10 muM) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (1 mM) stimulated the discharge of protein, acid hydrolases and trichloroacetic acid-insoluble 32P, and also stimulated the incorporation of 32Pi into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble components. The acid phosphatase and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase isoenzymes were separated by isoelectric focusing. These hydrolases were secreted into the medium as acidic isoenzymes, presumably contained within primary lysosomes, whereas they occurred largely as less acidic and basic isoenzymes in the glandular tissue.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Epididymis and seminal vesicle as sources of carnitine in human seminal fluid: the clinical significance of the carnitine concentration in human seminal fluid.

Carnitine determinations in human seminal fluid were shown to be useful in assessing epididymal and seminal vesicle function and in locating blockages in the male reproductive tract. The carnitine concentrations in 50 samples of seminal fluid ranged from 15 to 530 mug/ml (as carnitine-HCl). The patients could be divided into four classes. Patients with normal seminal vesicle and epididymal function had values of 250 mug/ml or above. Those with a defective epididymis and a functional seminal vesicle had intermediate carnitine levels (100 to 200 mug/ml) and normal fructose values in the seminal fluid. Patients with a defective seminal vesicle but a functional epididymis had intermediate carnitine concentrations and low fructose levels. Extremely low carnitine values (less than 100 mug/ml) were found in seminal fluid from patients whose epididymis and seminal vesicle both were defective. The possible role of carnitine in sperm maturation was discussed.

Acid Phosphatase↗

[Laparoscopic treatment of a symptomatic seminal vesicle cyst].

Most seminal vesicle cysts have an embryological origin and are often associated with homolateral renal agenesis. The diagnosis of seminal vesicle cyst has been greatly improved by progress in medical imaging, particularly ultrasound, which reveals a retrovesical cystic image and homolateral renal agenesis. Transperineal or laparoscopic vesiculectomy is technically difficult and is associated with high morbidity. The authors report a case of laparoscopic vesiculectomy with an uneventful postoperative course.

Cysts↗

Conservative management of a seminal vesicle abscess.

A pure seminal vesicle abscess is a rare condition. We report case 7 in the literature and to our knowledge the first patient who has been managed successfully by noninvasive, conservative antibiotic treatment alone. All previously reported cases of seminal vesicle abscesses have been managed with invasive therapy. In 5 cases the seminal vesicle abscess was incised and drained surgically, while in 1 the abscess was drained percutaneously. We describe a patient with a seminal vesicle abscess, review the literature and recommend a more conservative method of management.

Abscess↗

Pathogenesis and biological significance of seminal vesicle invasion in prostatic adenocarcinoma.

Seminal vesicle invasion and the percentage involvement by cancer of each seminal vesicle were related to cancer volume, quantitative histological grade and presence or absence of lymph node metastases in 243 radical prostatectomy specimens. There were 47 prostates with seminal vesicle invasion. Frequency and extent of seminal vesicle invasion were strongly correlated with cancer volume, with minimal invasion noted in only 6% of the cases less than 4 cc. The relationship of seminal vesicle invasion to lymph node metastasis was statistically significant but cancer volume and histological grade were much stronger predictors of lymph node metastasis. The route of invasion from the prostate in 46 cases involved direct tumor spread into the midbase region near the ejaculatory ducts. Seminal vesicle invasion often may not be identified if the tissue nearest the ejaculatory ducts at the prostate base is not sampled.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Partial characterization of the RNA stimulating growth of the seminal vesicle.

RNA prepared from the seminal vesicles of intact adult rats, or of testosterone-treated castrate adult rats, produced a 30 per cent increase in the weight of the seminal vesicle and a 25 per cent increase in the incorporation of labeled amino acids into protein. RNA prepared from the liver or ventral prostate of the same animals produced only a 10 per cent increase in the weight of the seminal vesicle. RNA prepared from the liver of control or testosterone-treated adult female rats was ineffective in stimulating the growth of the seminal vesicle. Polyuridylic acid instilled into the lumen had no effect on the weight of the seminal vesicle, but increased the incorporation of labeled phenylalanine into protein. RNA sedimenting in the 18S area on sucrose density gradients was most effective in stimulating growth of the seminal vesicle of three-week-old rats. Treating homogenized tissue with deoxycholate greatly increased the effectiveness of the RNA extracted. RNA extracted from seminal vesicles by treatment with deoxycholate and dextran sulfate was biologically active, whereas the usual 4S RNA in the 100,000 x g supernatant is ineffective.

Animals↗

Spontaneous mutation in mice provides new insight into the genetic mechanisms that pattern the seminal vesicles and prostate gland.

The seminal vesicles and prostate gland are anatomically adjacent male sex-accessory glands. Although they arise from different embryonic precursor structures and express distinct sets of secretory proteins, these organs share common features in their developmental biology. A key shared developmental feature is the elaboration of complex secretory epithelia with tremendous surface area from simple precursor structures with juxtaposed epithelial and mesenchymal cells. In this study, new insight into the nature of the biological processes that underlie glandular morphogenesis is achieved by analyzing the phenotypes present in mice that harbor a spontaneous mutation, seminal vesicle shape (svs), previously identified for causing altered seminal vesicle morphology in adults. An examination of seminal vesicle development in svs mice provides the first evidence that the concurrent processes of epithelial branching and epithelial infolding are distinct processes under separate genetic control. It also provides the first direct evidence that the thickness and topology of the smooth muscle layer in the seminal vesicles are determined by interaction with the glandular epithelium during the branching process. In addition, the seminal vesicle phenotype in svs mice is shown to phenocopy the morphologic form present in certain other mammals such as the guinea pig, raising the possibility that the svs mutation is the sort of variant that arises during evolution. By also including an investigation of the prostate gland, this study also identifies previously unrecognized phenotypes in svs prostates, including increased gland size and dramatically reduced levels of branching morphogenesis. Finally, this study advances the goal of identifying the svs gene by mapping the svs mutation relative to known molecular markers and testing Fgfr2 as a candidate gene. The finding that the svs mutation maps to a genomic region syntenic to a region frequently deleted in human prostate tumors, together with the prostatic phenotype present in svs mice, further raises the interesting possibility that the svs mutation will identify a candidate prostate tumor suppressor gene.

Animals↗

Semenogelin I: a coagulum forming, multifunctional seminal vesicle protein.

Human seminal plasma spontaneously coagulates after ejaculation. The major component of this coagulum is semenogelin 1, a 52-kDa protein expressed exclusively in the seminal vesicles. Recently, a sperm motility inhibitor has been found to be identical to semenogelin I, suggesting that it may also be a physiological sperm motility inhibitor. The protein is rapidly cleaved after ejaculation by the chymotrypsin-like prostatic protease prostate-specific antigen, resulting in liquefaction of the semen coagulum and the progressive release of motile spermatozoa. Some of the cleavage products of Sg I may also have various biological functions. While the semenogelin I protein is unique to human and higher primates, it has recently been shown to belong to a gene family having a similar gene structure but encoding widely differing proteins. The recently elucidated characteristics of the semenogelin I gene as well as the biochemical and functional properties of the encoded protein are reviewed, and an attempt is made to integrate the various findings into a model for semen coagulation, sperm immobilization and potential other functions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression of metallothionein in seminal vesicles--an immunohistochemical study.

OBJECTIVE: The seminal vesicles and prostate share the same blood supply and exposure to carcinogens. Despite these similarities, fewer than 60 adenocarcinomas of the seminal vesicles have been described, whereas prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men today. Metallothionein plays a significant role in the detoxification of heavy metals. Thus, this study investigated the expression of metallothionein in seminal vesicle tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty individual tissue specimens each of normal seminal vesicle tissue and benign prostatic tissue underwent immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal mouse anti-metallothionein antibody. RESULTS: Positive immunostaining for metallothionein was found in 8 of 20 (40%) of the seminal vesicle tissues, but in 14 of 20 (70%) of the prostate specimens. Seminal vesicle tissue stained only with weak intensity. CONCLUSION: Metallothionein expression is lower in seminal vesicles than in the prostate. The low cell turnover in seminal vesicle tissue may explain the lower staining activity of this tissue. These findings suggest that metallothionein expression cannot be regarded as the main reason for the vastly different cancer incidence in seminal vesicles and the prostate.

Aged↗

[Localized amyloidosis of the seminal vesicles].

Amyloidosis of the seminal vesicles is a common finding in autopsies, with increased incidence in older population. It is usually asymptomatic. We report a case of symptomatic localized amyloidosis of the seminal vesicles, with hemospermia and suprapubic pain. Diagnosis was achieved through ultrasound-guided transrectal biopsy. Systemic amyloidosis must be ruled out through proper evaluation. Seminal vesicle enlargement secondary to amyloid deposit may be misdiagnosed as carcinomatous invasion.

Adult↗

Functional structure and ultrastructure of seminal vesicles.

The function of the seminal vesicles in animals and man is under androgen control. The use of a new marker of the seminal vesicle function, termed corrected fructose, demonstrates an association between serum testosterone levels and seminal corrected fructose levels. The human seminal vesicles secrete a variety of products, and there is good evidence of a close relationship between functions of the seminal vesicles and sperm motility. Some of their products of secretion, such as potassium, bicarbonate, prostaglandins, and prolactin, directly stimulate the motility of the sperm through actions at the level of the mechanisms of production of the energy necessary for the motion. Several constituents are secreted by the seminal vesicles, some of which have no specific functions.

Animals↗