Characterization of development-specific, cell type-specific mouse testicular antigens using testis-specific polyclonal antibodies.

Antisera were raised by immunizing rabbits with mouse testicular germ cells, and absorbed in vivo by injection into castrated male whole mice to obtain a specific antiserum which reacted with mouse germ cells. The expression of mouse testis-specific antigenic macromolecules was then studied immunochemically with the antiserum. Approximately 20 antigenic macromolecules with molecular weights ranging from 26 to 110 kD were detected in the normal adult testis. At least 12 of these were differentiation-specific antigens appearing during development of germ cells, while others were expressed in testicular germ and/or somatic cells or detected only in mature spermatozoa. This technique for raising testis-specific antisera could be useful for isolation of cDNA clones encoding their antigens, as well as for investigation of the physiological roles of these molecules in germ cell differentiation at the molecular level.