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Annexin 5, a unique calcium- and phospholipid-binding protein, has been investigated for its specific distribution in rat endocrine organs by immunocytochemistry with a specific antiserum to recombinant rat annexin 5. Follicular epithelial cells and parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland, adrenocortical cells of the zona fasciculata and zona reticularis, luteal cells, testicular interstitial cells, and Sertoli cells were shown to contain annexin 5. To examine whether the synthesis of annexin 5 would be affected by a change in humoral signal, the distribution of annexin 5 in the anterior pituitary was examined three weeks after ovariectomy. The withdrawal of ovarian hormones induced huge castration cells in the anterior pituitary gland, which contained abundant annexin 5. Annexin 5 was not detected in the pineal gland, the parathyroid gland, the islet of Langerhans, the adrenal medulla, zona glomerulosa cells, and granulosa cells. Since annexin 5 was shown to exist in many of the endocrine tissues examined, to be localized in specific cell types, and to be abundant in castration cells, it is suggested that annexin 5 contributes to secretory cell functions, which may be common to endocrine cells secreting chemically different hormones.

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Effects of NH3 concentration in sea water and pH of sea water on the motility of spermatozoa obtained from testes were examined in the Japanese pearl oyster. Percent motility at 30 s after dilution increased with increasing NH3 concentration in sea water from 0.75-2.0 mM. When spermatozoa were diluted with sea water containing 0.75 mM NH3, which is widely used as the insemination fluid in the hatchery of this species, the percent motility increased with time elapsed after dilution, and peaked at 5 min. For spermatozoa diluted with sea water containing 2.0 mM NH3, the percent motility increased rapidly and peaked at 30 s. The pH of sea water increased with increasing NH3 concentration from 8.2 (0 mM NH3) to 9.9 (5.0 mM NH3). When spermatozoa were diluted with artificial sea water at various pH (buffered without NH3 at 6.0-10.0), only spermatozoa diluted with artificial sea water of pH 10.0 were motile, and the percent was considerably lower than those in ammonical sea water. These results indicate that sea water containing 2.0 mM NH3 is a suitable solution for evaluating sperm motility, and that NH3 and/or ammonium ions may activate sperm motility in this species.KEY WORDS: ammonical seawater, artificial fertilization, Japanese pearl oyster, sperm motility.