Abstract:

Backgroung: The Tissue Microarray technique (TMA) was first described in 1998. This technique allows the construction of paraffin blocks containing many specimens. After cutting the block, the sections are mounted on slides; therefore all samples are treated under the same conditions with several ancillary techniques including immunohistochemistry (IHQ), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and gene expression profiling. Currently this technique is used in several research laboratories over the world.

The embryonic development of the testicular germ cells and male genitourinary tract and the histopathology changes in testicular diseases (infertility and cancer) has been studied sample by sample during the past years using biopsies and autopsies material.

The aim of the present study is to emphasize in the importance of TMAs as a tool for the research related to the male genitourinary tract embryonic development and pathologies.

Material and Methods: Several samples from testicular and genitourinary tract origin were collected and used to construct two TMAs. The first TMA included samples from normal testis (from biopsies and/or autopsies), atrophic testis (from infertile patients) and seminomatous as well as non- seminomatous testicular germ cell tumors (GCTs). The GCT samples contained both invasive and intratubular carcinoma. Occasionally, both components were found together in the same core. Additionally, samples from paraffin blocks of sperm fluid (constructed following the Agarcyto adapted technique) and fetal tissue in different states of embryonic development were placed together in a second TMA.

Results: Seven different types of material and sources representing different stages and characteristics of the germ cells and male genitourinary tract were placed together as several cores in the TMAs. Those TMAs were then used for IHQ technique to establish the protein profile in normal testis and sperm fluid and its variation in the pathologies as well as in the genitourinary tract development.

Conclusions: TMA technique has been proved to be extremely useful in research. Many correlated samples belonging to a given research field, such as testicular material, can be placed together and treated under the same conditions with a high sparing of time and material and with an improved reliability, coming thus to strongly improve scientific research.

GRANTS: This study was supported by Instituto Carlos III (RD06/0020/0102, 606/2007) and Fundación Inocente Inocente (PI4/07-36).

Keywords:

tma, male genitourinary tract, germ cells tumour, infertility, embryonic.