Lysozyme-like proteins (LYZLs) belong to the class of c-type lysozymes and are not well characterized in many species including the rat. In this study, using in silico and molecular biology techniques, we report the identification, cloning and characterization of rat Lyzl4 gene and also determine the expression pattern of Lyzl1, Lyzl3 and Lyzl6. The rat Lyzl genes were found to be distributed o...

BACKGROUND Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is an innate immune protein that is present in mucosal lined surfaces throughout the human body, including the male reproductive tract. In the present study, we characterized the regulation of SP-D expression in the mouse and rat prostate. METHODS Real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunostaining were used to character...

Patil, Amar A., Yibin Cai, Yongming Sang, Frank Blecha, and Guolong Zhang. Cross-species analysis of the mammalian -defensin gene family: presence of syntenic gene clusters and preferential expression in the male reproductive tract. Physiol Genomics 23: 5–17, 2005. First published July 20, 2005; 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00104.2005.—Mammalian -defensins are an important family of innate host defe...

the inability to have a child is a baleful event for millions of couples in their life, and a large percentage of them have a personal frustration. the problem of infertility in couples is distributed equitably between the two sexes. among different methods, medicinal plants have been used in many nations to treat male infertility problems. these medicinal herbs are used to treat sperm disorder...

We describe herein the sperm morphology of the harvestman Iporangaia pustulosa. Adult males were dissected, the reproductive tract was schematized and the seminal vesicle was processed by light, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The male reproductive tract is composed of a tubular testis, two deferent ducts, a seminal vesicle, a propulsive organ and a penis, similar to that observe...