Disease relevance of Bulbourethral Glands

• We demonstrate that targeted expression of SV40 large T antigen (TAg) to the urethral (periurethral) and bulbourethral gland epithelium leads to adenocarcinoma formation in these tissues after 7 months of age, which are extremely rare sites for spontaneous tumor formation in humans [1].
• During the same period, pituitary content and blood concentration of PRL increased to maximal values, epididymal, vesicular gland and bulbourethral gland weights increased 6-fold, and body weight doubled [2].
• The effect of testosterone and an anti-oestrogen on hypertrophy of bulbourethral glands of wethers grazing oestrogenic pastures [3].

High impact information on Bulbourethral Glands

• Altered expression of transforming growth factor betas during urethral and bulbourethral gland tumor progression in transgenic mice carrying the androgen-responsive C3(1) 5' flanking region fused to SV40 large T antigen [1].
• The SV and bulbourethral gland (BUG) on day 0 had high 5 alpha-reductase activity, which had increased 1.4- and 1.3-fold, respectively, compared to their 14.5 day embryonic anlage, although the increase was not significant [4].
• Androgens lower prostaglandin E2 levels in neonatal mouse bulbourethral gland in in vitro cultures [5].
• An organ culture system was devised for neonatal mouse bulbourethral glands (BUGs) in which androgen-dependent development parallels that in vivo [6].
• These studies demonstrate that fecal T is a valid indicator of reproductive status in the male southern hairy-nosed wombat, with significant correlations observed between fecal T, plasma T, and prostate and bulbourethral gland weights [7].

Biological context of Bulbourethral Glands

• In Merino rams the highest circulating levels of testosterone (P<0.05) and maximum testicular diameter (P<0.001) occurred during summer, with no seasonal variations in vesicular and bulbourethral glands [8].
• In goats, a glycoprotein component of bulbourethral gland secretion contains lipase activity that is detrimental to sperm motility when stored in skim milk-based extenders [9].

Anatomical context of Bulbourethral Glands

• By Western blot analysis or by immunodiffusion test, no cross-reactivity with PLA2 purified from human seminal plasma, bovine pancreas, Crotalus adamanteus venom, or with partially purified PLA2 from bovine seminal vesicle fluid or Cowper's glands was observed [10].
• Thus, in this New World monkey the testis is able to support a local OT-based paracrine-type system, though the prostate and bulbourethral gland are probably only able to respond to exogenous OT [11].
• Estrogen receptors are present in cytosol prepared from the accessory sex organs (vesicular gland, proprostate, prostate, bulbourethral gland) of sexually immature and of sexually mature rabbits [12].
• However, DBP (20 mg/animal) significantly reduced the weights of testes and accessory sex organs (seminal vesicles, LABC, and Cowper's glands), but not of the epididymis [13].
• Epithelial cells of seminal vesicles, bulbourethral glands, and prostate were cuboidal, indicating inadequate testicular androgen [14].

Associations of Bulbourethral Glands with chemical compounds

• The bulbourethral glands were the most responsive and the vesicular gland the least responsive to androgen treatment [15].
• Testosterone treatment significantly increased prostate and bulbourethral gland mass, although addition of cortisol to the testosterone administration diminished this effect [16].
• Tissues from seminal vesicles and bulbourethral glands of 6-week-old castrate and intact males, and 12-week-old castrate animals, were incubated with (3)H-labelled oestrone and oestradiol-17beta [17].
• Results show an influence of social rank on plasma concentrations of androstenone (P = .0001) and testosterone (P = .0001), the weight of the bulbourethral glands (P = .0001), and plasma skatole (P = .02) [18].
• Only trace levels of fructose are elaborated by Cowper's glands [19].

Gene context of Bulbourethral Glands

• TGF-beta isoforms and TGF-beta receptor (TbetaR-II) were localized immunocytochemically in sections of Cowper's glands [20].
• A panel of immunoperoxidase and mucin stains performed on 10 Cowper's glands showed negative immunoreactivity for prostatic-specific antigen, prostatic alkaline phosphatase, S-100 protein, and carcinoembryonic antigen [21].
• Similarly in the bulbourethral gland, only OTR immunoreactivity could be detected [11].
• Sections containing Cowper's glands were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, mucicarmine, periodic acid-Schiff's-digest (PAS-D), and antibodies directed at high-molecular-weight cytokeratin (HMWCK), prostate-specific acid phosphatase (PSAP), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Ulex europaeus agglutinin, and muscle-specific actin [22].
• Acini in nine of the 10 Cowper's glands were negative for high-molecular-weight cytokeratin K-903 (34beta E12) [21].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Bulbourethral Glands

• Mucin-producing Cowper's glands, which are situated in the urogenital diaphragm, can be sampled inadvertently by transurethral resection of the prostate and rarely by needle biopsy [21].

References