Comprehensive Immunophenotypic Characterization of Adult and Fetal Testes, the Excretory Duct System, and Testicular and Epididymal Appendages.

Abstract

The immunophenotype of a normal testis and the excretory duct system has not been studied comprehensively in fetal and adult patients without testicular disease or hormonal manipulation so far. In addition, testicular (TA) and epididymal (EA) appendages are frequent paratesticular structures without previously reported comprehensive immunophenotypic studies. Immunohistochemistry for multiple markers, including the androgen receptor (AR), the estrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PR), the prostate-specific antigen, the prostate-specific membrane antigen, PAX8, WT1, calretinin, CK7, CK20, OCT4, SALL4, and CD117, was performed on full sections of testicular/paratesticular tissue from a large cohort of adult and fetal autopsy patients. In contrast to adult germ cells (GC), fetal GC strongly express OCT4 and CD117, although the expression of these proteins is lost in the early postnatal period; SALL4, in contrast, is expressed in both fetal and adult GC, with only weak and focal expression in adult patients. Fetal Sertoli cells (SC) express WT1 and calretinin strongly and diffusely, in contrast to adult SC. Both fetal and adult excretory duct systems express CK7 and PAX8 with frequent AR coexpression, and all 3 main segments of the excretory duct system (ductuli efferentes, epididymis, and vas deferens) have unique immunophenotypes. The rete testis also has a unique immunohistochemical expression pattern, which includes strong expression of CK7, PAX8, WT1, calretinin, and AR. Finally, of the adult autopsy patients examined, 80% had a TA, and 60% had an EA; these paratesticular structures occurred at stereotypical locations, demonstrated reproducible morphologic features, and had a unique immunophenotype relative to other studied structures, with strong CK7, PAX8, WT1, AR, ER, and PR coexpression. The testis and the paratestis may be involved by diverse neoplastic and non-neoplastic processes, and knowledge of the immunophenotypic expression spectrum of these tissues may aid in clinical diagnosis and advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of both oncologic and nononcologic disease processes.