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Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 2AJ

1. The p.d. of rat seminiferous tubules was 5·86 ± 0·15 mV, lumen negative, at 33° C and varied linearly with temperature between 24 and 37° C, exhibiting an apparent Q₁₀^{25-35° C} of 2·0 with a slope of 0·43 mV/° C. Exposing testes to a temperature of 37-43° C resulted in an initial hyperpolarization followed by depolarization of the tubules. These changes were more rapid in testes exposed to 41-43° C than in testes exposed to 37-39° C.

2. The R_in of seminiferous tubules was 198 ± 7·8 k at a testis temperature of 33° C. The R_in decreased when testes were maintained at 37 and 41° C, the rate of decrease being similar to the rate of depolarization.

3. Exposing testes to deep body temperature by unilateral surgical cryptorchidism caused a reduction of 30 and 64% in tubular p.d. and R_in respectively when measured 24 hr after surgery. Exposure to deep body temperature for up to 4 days did not cause any further change in either parameter.

4. There was no evidence that lanthanum penetrated through the Sertoli cell tight junctions after exposing testes to 41° C for up to 30 min.

5. The results indicate that the seminiferous tubule p.d. is maintained by a temperature-sensitive, cellular mechanism. Exposing testes to deep body temperature or above depolarized the tubules and increased their permeability.