Radioimmunoassay for testicular cytochrome c (ct). Evidence for the presence of apocytochrome ct pool in rat testis extract.

Mammalian testis contains a tissue-specific testicular cytochrome c (cyt ct). By immunizing rabbits with rat cyt ct and phosphorylated albumin (pBSA), rabbit anti-cyt ct was produced. Then the antiserum was applied to phosphorylated bovine serum albumin and rat somatic cyt c (cs)-Sepharose affinity columns to remove cross-reacting antibodies. The resultant anti-cyt ct was highly specific for cyt ct. From immunoblot assays, no protein other than cyt ct in rat testis extract was bound by the anti-cyt ct. By using the anti-cyt ct, radioimmunoassay (RIA) was developed for the quantitation of cyt ct in rat testis extract. The observation that the RIA did not bind rat cyt cs (1-1000 pmol), and other rat tissue extracts (kidney, heart, lung) further indicated that the RIA was highly specific for rat cyt ct. Separately, the concentration of holocyt ct was determined using CM-cellulose chromatography and subsequent spectral analysis on the same testis extract. The total cyt ct concentration in the rat testis extract determined by the RIA was about 3-fold higher than those determined by the latter techniques. Since the affinity purified anti-horse cyt c cross-reacted with both horse holo- and apocyt c, anti-rat cyt ct will cross-react with rat apocyt ct. Thus the concentration of cyt ct quantitated by the polyclonal anti-cyt ct-based RIA probably included apocyt ct concentration as well. Therefore, the higher cyt ct concentration determined by the RIA was probably attributed to the presence of the apocyt ct in the testis extract. The presence of the high concentration of the apocyt ct pool in testis is probably necessary to maintain continuous spermatogenesis, during which holocyt ct is incorporated into sperm mitochondria.