The presence and longitudinal distribution of the glutathione S-transferase in rat epididymis and vas deferens

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Abstract
The presence of the glutathione S-transferases, enzymes that catalyze the conjugation of glutathione with a variety of compounds, is reported in the mammalian epididymis-vas deferens. These glutathione S-transferases, .apprx. 50% of those from rat liver on a per-milligram-of-protein basis, are resolved by isoelectric focusing into 6 peaks, each with a characteristic isoelectric point and substrate specificity. By these same criteria, the first 3 peaks (isoelectric points [pI] 8.9, 8.2 and 7.8) can be identified as transferases B, A and C, respectively. The 5th peak (pI 7.2) may correspond to transferase M; the 4th (pI 7.5) and 6th (pI 7.0) peaks do not correspond to previously described transferases. The distribution of transferase activity towards any 1 substrate studied differs in sequential sections of the epididymis and vas deferens; the longitudinal-distribution pattern differs for each of the 3 substrates studied. Isoelectric focusing of the cytosol fractions of the different sections further substantiates these observations. The potential significance of these enzymes and of their distribution in terms of epididymal function, maturation of spermatozoa, is discussed.