SPECIAL COURSE

Histological and Histopathological Evaluation of the Testis

By
Dr. Rex A. Hess

Background:

The pathologist is trained in evaluation of many tissues of the body, the testis being one of many. The testis, however is an especially complex organ, and the training given to pathologists is generally inadequate. Additionally, reproductive toxicologists generally receive minimal training in testis histopathology. This is of particular concern at this time because the USEPA and FDA are issuing new guidelines for reproductive testing which will call for an upgrading of evaluation of the testis from a morphological standpoint. In spite of the fact that risk assessment based on the evaluation of male reproductive function will be upgraded by EPA, it is incumbent on the individual toxicologist and pathologist to possess the capability of obtaining as much information from their tissues as possible in any situation. Moreover, the toxicologist and pathologist should be able to design protocols that will answer specific questions about the effect of an agent on the testis and how these effects can be interpreted. This course was developed in collaboration with the late Dr. Lonnie Russell (Biographical Sketch below).

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• To provide a better understanding of normal spermatogenesis and STAGES in experimental animals used in testing protocols,
  
• To provide tools for upgrading the participant's capability to evaluate testis function using morphological methods,
  
• To describe the options for the design of testing protocols that will answer many of the important questions about the effects of an agent on the testis.

General Topics:
One Day Course:
Normal spermatogenesis, STAGES, the cycle and the wave; Histotechniques for evaluation of the testis; Slide demonstration for rat, mouse and dog staging; Review slides of normal spermatogenesis (hands on at the microscope).

Two Day Course:
Day 1
Normal spermatogenesis, STAGES, the cycle and the wave; Histotechniques for evaluation of the testis; Slide demonstration for rat, mouse and dog staging; Review slides of normal spermatogenesis

Day 2
Slide review- staging of normal spermatogenesis; Introduction to abnormal spermatogenesis; Slide review of abnormal spermatogenesis; Group discussion and question; Review unknowns of abnormal spermatogenesis

Rex A. Hess, Ph.D.

Internet HomePage
Professor, Reproductive Biology & Toxicology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Illinois-Urbana

B.S., Zoology/Education, University of Missouri-Columbia; M.S., Physiology Area, University of
Missouri-Columbia; Ph.D.,Animal Physiology, Clemson University; Postdoc, US Environmental Protection Agency

Former Secretary of the American Society of Andrology

Selected from over 100 publications:

• Hess RA, Linder R, Strader L, Perreault S. 1988 Acute effects and long-term sequelae of
• 1,3-dinitrobenzene on male reproduction in the rat: II. Quantitative & qualitative histopathology
• of the testis. J. Androl. 9:327-342.
• Hess RA. 1990 Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the stages and transitions in the
• cycle of the rat seminiferous epithelium: light microscopic observations of perfusion-fixed and
• plastic-embedded testes. Biol. Reprod. 43:525-542.
• Hess RA, Moore BJ, Forrer J, Linder RE, Abuel-Atta A. 1991 The fungicide benomyl [methyl
• 1-(butylcarbamoyl)-2 benzimidazole carbamate] causes testicular dysfunction by inducing the
• sloughing of germ cells and occlusion of efferent ductules. Fund. Appl. Toxicol. 17:733-745.
• Hess RA, Moore BJ. 1993 Histological Methods for the Evaluation of the Testis. In: Methods in Reproductive Toxicology, Chapin RE and Heindel JJ (eds). Academic Press: San Diego, CA, pp. 52-85.
• Cooke PS, Hess RA, Kirby JD, Bunick D, Hardy MP. 1994 Neonatal propylthiouracil (PTU) treatment as a model system for studying factors controlling testis growth and sperm production. In: Function of Somatic Cells in the Testis, Bartke A (ed). Springer-Verlag:New York, pp. 400-407.
• Hess RA, Bunick D, Korach KS, Taylor JA, Bahr J, Lee K-H, Lubahn DB. 1997.Estrogen regulates fluid reabsorption in the head of the epididymis. Nature 390:509-512.
• Nakai M, Hess RA, Nasu T. 1997. Further observations on carbendazim-induced abnormalities of spermatid morphology in rats. Tissue and Cell 29:477-487.
• Klinefelter, G.R. and Hess, R.A. 1998. Toxicity of the excurrent ducts and accessory organs in the male. In: Reproductive and developmental toxicology. (eds. K. S. Korach), Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 553-591.
• Hess RA 1998 Spermatogenesis, Overview. In: Encyclopedia of Reproduction. vol. 4 (eds. E. Knobil and J. D. Neill), Academic Press, San Diego, 539-545.
• Nakai M, Hess RA, Netsu J, Nasu T. Deformation of the rat Sertoli cells by oral gavage of carbendazim. 1995 J. Androl. 16:410-416.
• Jewell WT, Hess RA, Miller MG. 1998. Testicular toxicity of molinate in the rat: metabolic activation via sulfoxidation. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 149:159-166.
• Nakai M, Toshimori K, Yoshinaga K, Nasu T, Hess RA. 1998. Carbendazim-induced abnormal development of the acrosome during early phases of spermiogenesis in the rat testis. Cell Tissue Res., 294:145-152.
• Wenz JR, Hess, RA. 1998. Characterization of stage specific tyrosinated a-tubulin immunoperoxidase staining patterns in Sertoli cells of rat seminiferous tubules by light microscopic image analysis. Tissue and Cell 30:492-501.
• Janulis L, Bahr JM, Hess RA, Janssen S, Osawa Y, Bunick D. 1998. Rat testicular germ cells and epididymal sperm contain active P450 aromatase. J Androl. 19:65-71.
• Hess RA. 1998. Effects of environmental toxicants on the efferent ductules, epididymis and fertility. J. Reprod. Fertil. Suppl. 53:247-259.
• Nakai M, Toshimori K, Yoshinaga K, Nasu T, Hess RA. 1998. Spermatids of prepubertal male rats are susceptible to carbendazim during early spermiogenesis. Arch Histol Cytol. 61:433-437.
• Cooke, P. S., R. E. Peterson and R. A. Hess (2002). Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology. Endocrine Disruptors. W. M. Haschek, C. G. Rousseaux and M. Wallig. San Diego, Academic Press. 2: 501-528.
• Hess RA. 2002. The Efferent Ductules: Structure and Functions. In: The Epididymis: from molecules to clinical practice (eds. B. Robaire and B. Hinton), Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York. p. 49-80.
• Hess RA, Zhou Q, Nie R. 2002. The role of estrogens in the endocrine and paracrine regulation of the efferent ductules, epididymis and vas deferens. In: The Epididymis: from molecules to clinical practice (eds. B. Robaire and B. Hinton), Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York. p. 317-338.
• Zhou, Q., Clarke, L., Nie, R., Carnes, K., Lai, L.W., Lien, Y.H., Verkman, A., Lubahn, D., Fisher, J.S., Katzenellenbogen, B.S. and Hess, RA. 2001. From the Cover: Estrogen action and male fertility: Roles of the sodium/hydrogen exchanger-3 and fluid reabsorption in reproductive tract function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 98, 14132-14137.
• Oliveira CA, Carnes K, França LR, Hess RA. 2001. Infertility and testicular atrophy in the antiestrogen-treated adult male rat. Biol. Reprod. 65, 913-920.
• Nie, R., Zhou, Q., Jassim, E., Saunders, P.T.K. and Hess, R.A. 2002. Differential expression of estrogen receptors a & b in the reproductive tract of the adult male dog and cat. Biol Reprod. 66:1161-1168.
• Oliveira, C.A., Carnes, K., Zhou, Q., Nie, R., Kuehl, D.E., Jackson, G.L., França, L.R., Nakai, M. and Hess RA. 2002. Estrogen receptor function in the adult male rat: short and long-term effects of the antiestrogen ICI 182,780 on the testis and efferent ductules, without changes in testosterone. Endocrinology 143:2399-2409.
• Lin M, Hess R, and Aitken RJ, 2002. Induction of sperm maturation in vitroin epididymal cell cultures of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii): disruption of motility initiation and sperm morphogenesis by inhibition of actin polymerization. Reproduction 124:107-117.
• Zhou, Q., Nie, R., Prins, G.S., Saunders, P.T.K., Katzenellenbogen, B.S. and Hess, R.A. 2002. Localization of androgen and estrogen receptors in the adult male mouse reproductive tract. J. Androl. 23, 870-881.
• Nakai M, Miller MG, Carnes K and Hess RA. 2002. Stage specific effects of the fungicide carbendazim on Sertoli cell microtubules in the rat testis. Tissue and Cell 34, 73-80.
• Nie R, Zhou Q, Jassim E, Saunders PTK and Hess RA. 2002. Differential expression of estrogen receptors a and b in the reproductive tracts of adult male dogs and cats. Biol   Reprod. 66:1161-1168
• Oliveira, C.A., Carnes, K., Zhou, Q., Nie, R., Kuehl, D.E., Jackson, G.L., França, L.R., Nakai, M. and Hess RA. 2002. Estrogen receptor function in the adult male rat: short and long-term effects of the antiestrogen ICI 182,780 on the testis and efferent ductules, without changes in testosterone. Endocrinology 143:2399-2409.
• Lin M, Hess R, and Aitken RJ, 2002. Induction of sperm maturation in vitroin epididymal cell cultures of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii): disruption of motility initiation and sperm morphogenesis by inhibition of actin polymerization. Reproduction 124:107-117.
• Zhou, Q, Nie, R, Prins, GS, Saunders, PT, Katzenellenbogen BS and Hess RA. 2002. Localization of androgen and estrogen receptors in adult male mouse reproductive tract. J Androl. 23, 870-881.
• Nakai M, Miller MG, Carnes K and Hess RA. 2002. Stage specific effects of the fungicide carbendazim on Sertoli cell microtubules in the rat testis. Tissue and Cell 34, 73-80.
• Correa LM, Nakai M, Strandgaard CS, Hess RA and Miller MG. 2002. Microtubules of the Mouse Testis Exhibit Differential Sensitivity to the Microtubule Disruptors Carbendazim and Colchicine. Toxicol Sci. 69:175-182.
• Witzmann FA, Bobb A, Briggs GB, Coppage HN, Hess RA, Li J, Pedrick NM, Ritchie GD, Rossi J, Still KR, 2003. Analysis of rat testicular protein expression following 91-day exposure to JP-8 jet fuel vapor. Proteomics 3:1016-1027.
• Cho HW, Carnes K, Nie R, Zhou Q, Sharief NAQ, Hess RA, 2003. The antiestrogen ICI 182,780 induces early effects on the adult male mouse reproductive tract and long-term decreased fertility without testicular atrophy.   Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 1, 57.
• Oliveira C, Nie R, Carnes K, Franca LR, Prins GS, Saunders PTK, Hess RA . 2003. The antiestrogen ICI 182,780 decreases the expression of estrogen receptor-alpha but has no effect on estrogen receptor-beta and androgen receptor in rat efferent ductules. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 1, 75.
  

For more information

Vanguard Production, Inc.
1113 W. John St.
Champaign, IL 61821-3902
email: rexahess@mac.com (Type STAGES in the subject line)