생쥐 정소에서 밀착결합단백질의 일종인 zonular occludens-1 (ZO-1)의 발현을 조사하였다. RT-PCR결과 ZO-1의 2가지 isoform인 ZO-1＋, ZO-1-의 발현을 확인하였다. 생쥐 신생 및 성체의 정소에서 분자량 225 및 2001 KDa의 2종의 ZO-1의 단백질항원의 발현을 확인되어 RT-PCR의 결과와 일치하였다. ZO-l＋에 대한 ZO-l-의 상대적 발현량은 성숙에 따라 증가하였다. 2종의 ZO-1항원을 동시에 인식하는

To investigate the cadmium (Cd) toxicity on the testis, male rats were treated with 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg/kg of Cd by IP. According to histochemical studies, Cd-treated testis tissue showed death of spermatozoa, death of Sertoli cells, death of all the spermatogenic cells, and finally disappearance of basal lamina of seminiferous tubules with increasing doses, and showed decreased ground substances and Leydig cells, increased inflammatory cells and fibroblasts, and fibroblasts, and finally disappearance of ground substances and all the cells except fibroblasts within interstitial tissues with increasing doses. According to biochemical studies, two kinds of proteins, 25 and 45 kDa, were dramatically disappeared from the total protein of rat testis treated with Cd comparing to normal testis. The result of electrophoresis of total protein suggests that actin (45 kDa), presumed on its mmolecular weight and amount, in the testis-cells is the primary target of Cd poisoning. Although its exact mechanism is not clear, the disappearance of two proteins when testis is exposed to Cd should give some clues to understnad the mechanism of necrosis of testis tissue crumbling by heavy metal pollutant such as Cd.