Matrix-coated transwell-cultured TM4 sertoli cell testosterone-regulated gene expression mimics in vivo expression

In vitro production of mouse morphological sperm in artificial testis bioengineered by 3D printing of extracellular matrix

Since autologous stem cell transplantation is prone to cancer recurrence, in vitro sperm production is regarded a safer approach to fertility preservation. In this study, the spermatogenesis process on testicular tissue extracellular matrix (T-ECM)-derived printing structure was evaluated. Ram testicular tissue was decellularized using a hypertonic solution containing triton and the extracted ECM was used as a bio-ink to print an artificial testis. Following cell adhesion and viability examination, pre-meiotic and post-meiotic cells in the study groups (as testicular suspension and co-culture with Sertoli cells) were confirmed by real-time PCR, flow-cytometry and immunocytochemistry methods. Morphology of differentiated cells was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), toluidine blue, Giemsa, and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The functionality of Leydig and Sertoli cells was determined by their ability for hormone secretion. The decellularization of testicular tissue fragments was successful and had efficiently removed the cellular debris and preserved the ECM compounds. High cell viability, colonization, and increased expression of pre-meiotic markers in cultured testicular cells on T-ECM-enriched scaffolds confirmed their proliferation. Furthermore, the inoculation of neonatal mouse testicular cells onto T-ECM-enriched scaffolds resulted in the generation of sperm. Morphology evaluation showed that the structure of these cells was quite similar to mature sperm with a specialized tail structure. The hormonal analysis also confirmed production and secretion of testosterone and inhibin B by Leydig and Sertoli cells. T-ECM printed artificial testis is a future milestone that promises for enhancing germ cell maintenance and differentiation, toxicology studies, and fertility restoration to pave the way for new human infertility treatments in the future.

miR-1-3p suppresses the epithelial-mesenchymal transition property in renal cell cancer by downregulating Fibronectin 1

Purpose

Renal cell cancer (RCC) is one of the primary causes of malignancy deaths all over the world. The most important cause of RCC-related mortality is metastasis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in metastasis of malignant tumors including RCC. miR-1-3p is confirmed to be decreased in many types of cancer. Nevertheless, the function of miR-1-3p in RCC metastasis and EMT process was still unclear.

Materials and methods

In this study, information from clinical investigation, in vitro study, and in vivo study discovered miR-1-3p expression character and its status in RCC. The character of miR-1-3p in invasive and metastatic properties in vitro and in vivo was also inspected in RCC cells and xenograft tumor model, and expression levels of EMT markers were evaluated in RCC cells and tissues.

Results

miR-1-3p was proved to be decreased in RCC cell lines and tissues compared with normal renal cells and tissues. miR-1-3p expression level in RCC tissues was closely related with capsulation, lymph node metastasis, and vascular invasion. miR-1-3p was found to be able to block the EMT process in A498 and CAKI-1 RCC cells and tumors. Luciferase reporter assay and expression level rescue assays were employed to reveal that miR-1-3p inhibited the invasion and migration property of RCC cells by directly targeting Fibronectin 1. Upregulation of Fibronectin 1 partially reversed the suppressive effect of miR-1-3p on EMT process.

Conclusion

In brief, this study has verified that miR-1-3p blocked the EMT process of RCC cells by reducing Fibronectin 1 expression. miR-1-3p/Fibronectin 1 axis may be considered as a new target for drug development of RCC.

Actin dynamics regulate subcellular localization of the F-actin-binding protein PALLD in mouse Sertoli cells

Sertoli cells undergo terminal differentiation at puberty to support all phases of germ cell development, which occurs in the mouse beginning in the second week of life. By ∼18 days postpartum (dpp), nearly all Sertoli cells have ceased proliferation. This terminal differentiation is accompanied by the development of unique and regionally concentrated filamentous actin (F-actin) structures at the basal and apical aspects of the seminiferous epithelium, and this reorganization is likely to involve the action of actin-binding proteins. Palladin (PALLD) is a widely expressed F-actin-binding and bundling protein recently shown to regulate these structures, yet it is predominantly nuclear in Sertoli cells at puberty. We found that PALLD localized within nuclei of primary Sertoli cells grown in serum-free media but relocalized to the cytoplasm upon serum stimulation. We utilized this system with in vivo relevance to Sertoli cell development to investigate mechanisms regulating nuclear localization of this F-actin-binding protein. Our results indicate that PALLD can be shuttled from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and that this relocalization occurred following depolymerization of the F-actin cytoskeleton in response to cAMP signaling. Nuclear localization was reduced in Hpg-mutant testes, suggesting the involvement of gonadotropin signaling. We found that PALLD nuclear localization was unaffected in testis tissues from LH receptor and androgen receptor-mutant mice. However, PALLD nuclear localization was reduced in the testes of FSH receptor-mutant mice, suggesting that FSH signaling during Sertoli cell maturation regulates this subcellular localization.

Immune sculpting of norepinephrine on MHC-I, B7-1, IDO and B7-H1 expression and regulation of proliferation and invasion in pancreatic carcinoma cells

BACKGROUND

The sympathetic neurotransmitter Norepinephrine (NE) contributes to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. This study aims to investigate the role of NE in modulating the immune phenotype and allowing pancreatic carcinoma (PC) cells to escape the immune response.

METHODS

Varied concentrations of NE and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) were administrated to MIA PaCa-2 and BxPC-3 cell lines for 48 hours. Proliferation and invasion were then investigated using an MTT assay and a membrane invasion culture system respectively. MHC-I, B7-1, IDO and B7-H1 expression were measured using real-time quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting and immunocytochemistry. The synergistic and time-dependent effects of NE/IFN-γ were also investigated. Adrenergic antagonists were used to identify the relevant target receptor of NE.

RESULTS

The results showed that NE had dose-dependent and time-dependent effects on cell biological processes as well as on the expression of MHC-I, B7-1, IDO and B7-H1. These effects occurred mainly via the β(2)-adrenergic receptor. Long-term NE treatment was able to antagonize some of the effects of IFN-γ (after 2 weeks of treatment), but NE and IFN-γ had significant synergistic stimulatory effects on IDO and B7-H1 expression. The residual effects on biological activities lasted for 2 weeks, while the immunophenotypic changes decreased at early time points after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

NE plays important roles in modulating PC cell biological activities and affecting MHC-I, B7-1, IDO and B7-H1 expression in vitro, mainly via the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. Only at extended treatment durations could NE affect PC cell progression and immune evasion.

Sertoli-secreted FGF-2 induces PFKFB4 isozyme expression in mouse spermatogenic cells by activation of the MEK/ERK/CREB pathway

Sertoli cells play a central role in the control and maintenance of spermatogenesis by secreting growth factors, in response to hormonal stimulation, that participate in the paracrine regulation of this process. In this study, we investigated how the hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis modulates 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PFKFB) isozyme expression in two mouse spermatogenic cell lines, GC-1 spg and GC-2 spd (ts). For this purpose, TM4 Sertoli cells were used to obtain conditioned medium that was treated or not with dihydrotestosterone for 2 days [dihydrotestosterone conditioned medium (TCM) and basal conditioned medium (BCM), respectively]. We observed an increase in the expression of PFKFB4 along with a decrease in PFKFB3 in spermatogenic cell lines treated with TCM. These effects were inhibited by the antiandrogen drug flutamide and by heat-inactivated TCM, indicating the protein nature of the TCM mediator and its dependence on Sertoli cell stimulation by dihydrotestosterone. In addition, adult rat testes treated with the GnRH antagonist Degarelix exhibited a reduction in the expression of PFKFB4 in germ cells. Addition of exogenous FGF-2 mimicked the changes in the Pfkfb gene expression, whereas neutralizing antibodies against FGF-2 abolished them. Interestingly, similar effects on Pfkfb gene expression were observed using different MAPK inhibitors (U-0126, PD-98059, and H-89). Luciferase analysis of Pfkfb4 promoter constructs demonstrated that a putative CRE-binding sequence located at -1,463 relative to the transcription start site is required to control Pfkfb4 gene expression after TCM treatment. Pulldown assays showed the binding of the CREB transcription factor to this site. Altogether, these results show how the paracrine regulation orchestrated by Sertoli cells in response to testosterone controls glycolysis in germ cells.

Identification of testosterone-/androgen receptor-regulated genes in mouse Sertoli cells

Androgen and androgen receptor (AR) play important roles in male spermatogenesis and fertility, yet detailed androgen/AR signals in Sertoli cells remain unclear. To identify AR target genes in Sertoli cells, we analyzed the gene expression profiles of testis between mice lacking AR in Sertoli cells (S-AR(-/y)) and their littermate wild-type (WT) mice. Digital gene expression analysis identified 2276 genes downregulated and 2865 genes upregulated in the S-AR(-/y) mice testis compared to WT ones. To further nail down the difference within Sertoli cells, we first constructed Sertoli cell line TM4 with stably transfected AR (named as TM4/AR) and found androgens failed to transactivate AR in Sertoli TM4 and TM4/AR cells. Interestingly, additional transient transfection of AR-cDNA resulted in significant androgen responsiveness with TM4/AR cells showing 10 times more androgen sensitivity than TM4 cells. In the condition where maximal androgen response was demonstrated, we then analyzed gene expression and found the expression levels of 2313 genes were changed more than twofold by transient transfection of AR-cDNA in the presence of testosterone. Among these genes, 603 androgen-/AR-regulated genes, including 164 upregulated and 439 downregulated, were found in both S-AR(-/y) mice testis and TM4/AR cells. Using informatics analysis, the gene ontology was applied to analyze these androgen-/AR-regulated genes to predict the potential roles of androgen/AR in the process of spermatogenesis. Together, using gene analysis in both S-AR(-/y) mice testis and TM4/AR cells may help us to better understand the androgen/AR signals in Sertoli cells and their influences in spermatogenesis.

The Rhox genes

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors that have crucial roles in embryogenesis. A recently discovered set of homeobox genes--the Rhox genes--are expressed during both embryogenesis and in adult reproductive tissues. The 33 known mouse Rhox genes are clustered together in a single region on the X chromosome, while likely descendents of the primodial Rhox cluster, Arx and Esx1, have moved to other positions on the X chromosome. Here, we summarize what is known about the regulation and function of Rhox cluster and Rhox-related genes during embryogenesis and gametogenesis. The founding member of the Rhox gene cluster--Rhox5 (previously known as Pem)--has been studied in the most depth and thus is the focus of this review. We also discuss the unusually rapid evolution of the Rhox gene cluster.