Androgen Signaling Disruption during Fetal and Postnatal Development Affects Androgen Receptor and Connexin 43 Expression and Distribution in Adult Boar Prostate
Figure 1
Morphology and immunohistochemical localization of AR and Cx43 in prostates of control and flutamide-exposed boars. Scale bars represent 20 μm. ((a)–(d)) Morphology of the prostates. Prostatic tissue of control boars composed of fibromuscular stroma (asterisks) and acini lined with the epithelium containing basal (short arrows) and secretory cells (arrows) (a). Note, decreased size of luminal compartment ((b), (c)) and inflammatory foci in the stroma in GD20 and PD2 animals (white asterisks) ((b), insert in (c)). In PD90 group hyperplastic and dysplastic epithelial alterations (insert in (d)) are visible (d). ((e)–(h)) Immunohistochemical localization of AR. Typical distribution of AR to the nuclei of secretory (arrows), basal (short arrows), and stromal cells (asterisks) in the control group (e). Decreased staining intensity in the epithelium (arrows) and stroma (asterisks) of GD20, PD2 ((f), (g)) and to the lesser extent in PD90 boars ((h)). Note, immunonegative nuclei of stromal cells ((f), (g)) and cytoplasmic staining in some epithelial cells (insert in (g)) of GD20 and PD2 males. No signal was detected when anti-AR antibody was substituted by normal goat serum (insert in (e)). ((i)–(l)) Immunohistochemical localization of Cx43. The staining localized at the base of the epithelium and occasionally in the stroma of control prostates (i). Increased number and intensity of the immunopositive foci in flutamide-exposed pigs ((j), (k), (l)). Note the staining dispersed in the cytoplasm of secretory cells of GD20 and PD2 boars ((j), (k), insert in (k)). No signal was detected when anti-Cx43 antibody was substituted by normal goat serum (insert in (i)).
