Clusterin in the Male Reproductive Tract

Abstract

Clusterin is a 75-80 kDa heterodimenc glycoprotein that was first identified as a component of the fluid from the ram rete testes (Fritz et al, 1983). Over the past 15 years, the protein has been purified, or its cognate mRNA cloned, from a number of different species and diverse tissues, including several tissues of the reproductive tract (see Table 1). The role, or, more probably, roles, of this widely expressed protein have not been established to date. It has been suggested that clusterin may be involved in the initiation of heterotypic cell-cell interactions (clustering; Fritz et at, 1983; Siu et al, 1992), in sperm development and maturation (Morales et at, 1987; Griswold et at, 1989; Morales and Griswold, 1991; Sylvester et at, 1991; Law and Griswold, 1994), in cholesterol transport (de Silva et at, 1990a,b; Jenne et at, 1991; Choi-Miura et at, 1993; Humphreys et at, 1997; Navab et at, 1997), in tissue remodeling (May and Finch, 1992; Michel et at, 1992; Helvering et at, 1993; Parczyk et at, 1994; Bursch et at, 1995; Rosenberg and Silkensen, 1995; Fratelli et at, 1996), in inhibition of complement fixation (Murphy et at, 1988, l989b; Tschopp et at, 1993; Tschopp and French, 1994), in cell death (Buttyan et at, 1989; Sensibar et at, 1991; Grassilli et at, 1992; Pearse et at, 1992; Tenniswood et at, 1992; Oliveira et at, 1993; Ahuja et at, 1994; Russo et at, 1994; Wong et at, 1994a; Dragunow et at, 1995; Gobe et at, 1995; Little and Mirkes, 1995; Smith et at, 1995; Furuya and Shimazaki, 1996; Klein et at, 1997; Popper et at, 1997), or in cell survivat (Grassilli et al, 1991; Aronow et at, 1993; French et at, 1994; Sensibar et at, 1995; Koch-Brandt and Morgans, 1996).