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Zhang Y, Xie J, Ouyang Y, Li S, Sun Y, Tan W, Ren L, Zhou X. Adverse outcome pathways of PBDEs inducing male reproductive toxicity. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 240:117598. [PMID: 37939807 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used brominated flame retardants, they are easily released into environment and causing adverse effects to the ecosystem and human health. This review aims to summarize the research status of PBDEs-induced male reproductive toxicity and its mechanisms at various levels such as molecular/cellular, tissue/organ and individual/population. The Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) diagram showed that PBDEs-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, disruptions of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and antagonism of androgen receptor (AR) were defined as critical molecular initiating events (MIEs). They caused key events (KEs) at the molecular and cellular levels, including oxidative stress, increased DNA damage, damaging mitochondria, increased glycolipid levels and apoptosis, depletion of ectoplasmic specialization and decreased Leydig cells numbers. These in turn lead to followed KEs at the tissue or organ levels, such as the impaired spermatogenesis, impaired blood-testis barrier and reduced testosterone synthesis and function. As a result, reproductive system-related adverse outcomes (AOs) were reported, such as the decreased sperm quantity or quality, shorten male anogenital distance and cryptorchidism in individual and reduced reproduction of the population. This review assembled information on the mechanisms of male reproductive toxicity induced by PBDEs, and constructed a causal mechanism relationship diagram from different levels using the an AOP framework to provide theoretical basis for ecological risk assessment and environmental management of PBDEs. The AOP framework makes it possible to develop risk management strategies based on toxicity mechanisms and support for development of Integrated Approach to Testing and Assessment (IATA) which are available for regulatory purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Department of Toxicology and Hygienic Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Junhong Xie
- Department of Toxicology and Hygienic Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Yixin Ouyang
- Department of Toxicology and Hygienic Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Shuang Li
- Department of Toxicology and Hygienic Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Yulin Sun
- Department of Toxicology and Hygienic Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Weilun Tan
- Department of Toxicology and Hygienic Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Lihua Ren
- School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Xianqing Zhou
- Department of Toxicology and Hygienic Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.
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Mechanisms of Male Reproductive Toxicity of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232214229. [PMID: 36430706 PMCID: PMC9693139 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are a group of flame retardants used in a variety of artificial materials. Despite being phased out in most industrial countries, they remain in the environment and human tissues due to their persistence, lipophilicity, and bioaccumulation. Populational and experimental studies demonstrate the male reproductive toxicity of PBDEs including increased incidence of genital malformations (hypospadias and cryptorchidism), altered weight of testes and other reproductive tissues, altered testes histology and transcriptome, decreased sperm production and sperm quality, altered epigenetic regulation of developmental genes in spermatozoa, and altered secretion of reproductive hormones. A broad range of mechanistic hypotheses of PBDE reproductive toxicity has been suggested. Among these hypotheses, oxidative stress, the disruption of estrogenic signaling, and mitochondria disruption are affected by PBDE concentrations much higher than concentrations found in human tissues, making them unlikely links between exposures and adverse reproductive outcomes in the general population. Robust evidence suggests that at environmentally relevant doses, PBDEs and their metabolites may affect male reproductive health via mechanisms including AR antagonism and the disruption of a complex network of metabolic signaling.
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Zakrzewski P, Lenartowska M, Buss F. Diverse functions of myosin VI in spermiogenesis. Histochem Cell Biol 2021; 155:323-340. [PMID: 33386429 PMCID: PMC8021524 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-020-01954-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Spermiogenesis is the final stage of spermatogenesis, a differentiation process during which unpolarized spermatids undergo excessive remodeling that results in the formation of sperm. The actin cytoskeleton and associated actin-binding proteins play crucial roles during this process regulating organelle or vesicle delivery/segregation and forming unique testicular structures involved in spermatid remodeling. In addition, several myosin motor proteins including MYO6 generate force and movement during sperm differentiation. MYO6 is highly unusual as it moves towards the minus end of actin filaments in the opposite direction to other myosin motors. This specialized feature of MYO6 may explain the many proposed functions of this myosin in a wide array of cellular processes in animal cells, including endocytosis, secretion, stabilization of the Golgi complex, and regulation of actin dynamics. These diverse roles of MYO6 are mediated by a range of specialized cargo-adaptor proteins that link this myosin to distinct cellular compartments and processes. During sperm development in a number of different organisms, MYO6 carries out pivotal functions. In Drosophila, the MYO6 ortholog regulates actin reorganization during spermatid individualization and male KO flies are sterile. In C. elegans, the MYO6 ortholog mediates asymmetric segregation of cytosolic material and spermatid budding through cytokinesis, whereas in mice, this myosin regulates assembly of highly specialized actin-rich structures and formation of membrane compartments to allow the formation of fully differentiated sperm. In this review, we will present an overview and compare the diverse function of MYO6 in the specialized adaptations of spermiogenesis in flies, worms, and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Zakrzewski
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Torun, Poland.,Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, The Keith Peters Building, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Marta Lenartowska
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Torun, Poland.,Centre for Modern Interdisciplinary Technologies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Torun, Poland
| | - Folma Buss
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, The Keith Peters Building, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
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Schreiber E, Garcia T, González N, Esplugas R, Sharma RP, Torrente M, Kumar V, Bovee T, Katsanou ES, Machera K, Domingo JL, Gómez M. Maternal exposure to mixtures of dienestrol, linuron and flutamide. Part I: Feminization effects on male rat offspring. Food Chem Toxicol 2020; 139:111256. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2020.111256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Hejmej A, Bilinska B. The effects of flutamide on cell-cell junctions in the testis, epididymis, and prostate. Reprod Toxicol 2018; 81:1-16. [PMID: 29958919 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2018.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we summarize recent findings on the effect of the anti-androgen flutamide on cell-cell junctions in the male reproductive system. We outline developmental aspects of flutamide action on the testis, epididymis, and prostate, and describe changes in junction protein expression and organization of junctional complexes in the adult boar following prenatal and postnatal exposure. We also discuss findings on the mechanisms by which flutamide induces alterations in cell-cell junctions in reproductive tissues of adult males, with special emphasis on cytoplasmic effects. Based on the results from in vivo and in vitro studies in the rat, we propose that flutamide affects the expression of junction proteins and junction complex structure not only by inhibiting androgen receptor activity, but equally important by modulating protein kinase-dependent signaling in testicular cells. Additionally, results from studies on prostate cancer cell lines point to a role for the cellular molecular outfit in response to flutamide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Hejmej
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Barbara Bilinska
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
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Zubair M, Ahmad M, Qureshi ZI. Review on arsenic-induced toxicity in male reproductive system and its amelioration. Andrologia 2017; 49. [DOI: 10.1111/and.12791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M. Zubair
- Department of Theriogenology; Faculty of Veterinary Sciences; University of Agriculture Faisalabad; Faisalabad Pakistan
| | - M. Ahmad
- Department of Theriogenology; Faculty of Veterinary Sciences; University of Agriculture Faisalabad; Faisalabad Pakistan
| | - Z. I. Qureshi
- Department of Theriogenology; Faculty of Veterinary Sciences; University of Agriculture Faisalabad; Faisalabad Pakistan
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Zubair M, Ahmad M, Jamil H, Deeba F. Toxic effects of arsenic on semen and hormonal profile and their amelioration with vitamin E in Teddy goat bucks. Andrologia 2016; 48:1220-1228. [DOI: 10.1111/and.12564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M. Zubair
- Department of Theriogenology; University of Agriculture; Faisalabad Pakistan
| | - M. Ahmad
- Department of Theriogenology; University of Agriculture; Faisalabad Pakistan
| | - H. Jamil
- Department of Theriogenology; University of Agriculture; Faisalabad Pakistan
| | - F. Deeba
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery; University of Agriculture; Faisalabad Pakistan
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Chojnacka K, Zarzycka M, Hejmej A, Mruk DD, Gorowska E, Kotula-Balak M, Klimek M, Bilinska B. Hydroxyflutamide affects connexin 43 via the activation of PI3K/Akt-dependent pathway but has no effect on the crosstalk between PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways at the Raf-1 kinase level in primary rat Sertoli cells. Toxicol In Vitro 2016; 31:146-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2015.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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da Silva VAM, Dantas MDS, Silva LADC, Carneiro JG, Schamber-Reis BLF. Testosterone Depletion Induces Demethylation of Murine Reelin Promoter CpG Dinucleotides: A Preliminary Study. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:286369. [PMID: 26526966 PMCID: PMC4615860 DOI: 10.1155/2015/286369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating mental disorder characterized by psychotic events, abnormal social behavior, false beliefs, and auditory hallucinations. Hypermethylation of the promoter region of reelin (RELN), a gene involved in regulation of neuronal positioning during telencephalic development, is strongly associated with low protein expression in several cortical structures and promoter hypermethylation in brain from postmortem SZ subjects. Recent experimental data suggests that testosterone is able to promote RELN demethylation, although no direct evidence of hormonal influence on reelin promoter methylation was obtained. We investigated if reduced levels of plasma testosterone in adult male mice lead to Reln promoter demethylation. Animals were administered with flutamide, an antiandrogenic compound, and reelin promoter methylation was assessed using methylationspecific PCR using bisulfite DNA from cerebellum. We found that flutamide was able to significantly lower plasma testosterone when compared to control mice, and treatment did not influence animal survival and body weight. We also show that low plasma testosterone was associated with demethylation of a cytosine residue located at -860 in reelin promoter region. These preliminary data suggest that androgenic hormones can influence cerebral reelin demethylation. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental approach directly linking testosterone depletion and RELN promoter methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Augusto Moraes da Silva
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medical Sciences, CESED/FCM, Avenida Senador Argemiro De Figueiredo 1901, Itararé, 58411-020 Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
| | - Marília de Souza Dantas
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medical Sciences, CESED/FCM, Avenida Senador Argemiro De Figueiredo 1901, Itararé, 58411-020 Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Agostinho de Castro Silva
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medical Sciences, CESED/FCM, Avenida Senador Argemiro De Figueiredo 1901, Itararé, 58411-020 Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
| | - Juliana Garcia Carneiro
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medical Sciences, CESED/FCM, Avenida Senador Argemiro De Figueiredo 1901, Itararé, 58411-020 Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
| | - Bruno Luiz Fonseca Schamber-Reis
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medical Sciences, CESED/FCM, Avenida Senador Argemiro De Figueiredo 1901, Itararé, 58411-020 Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
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Li XX, Chen SR, Shen B, Yang JL, Ji SY, Wen Q, Zheng QS, Li L, Zhang J, Hu ZY, Huang XX, Liu YX. The Heat-Induced Reversible Change in the Blood-Testis Barrier (BTB) Is Regulated by the Androgen Receptor (AR) via the Partitioning-Defective Protein (Par) Polarity Complex in the Mouse1. Biol Reprod 2013; 89:12. [DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.113.109405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
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Miyaso H, Nakamura N, Matsuno Y, Kawashiro Y, Komiyama M, Mori C. Postnatal exposure to low-dose decabromodiphenyl ether adversely affects mouse testes by increasing thyrosine phosphorylation level of cortactin. J Toxicol Sci 2013; 37:987-99. [PMID: 23038006 DOI: 10.2131/jts.37.987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) is a brominated flame retardant used in many commercial products such as televisions, computers, and textiles. Recent reports indicate that decaBDE adversely affects male reproductive organs in mice, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. We hypothesized that decaBDE affects mouse testes by altering the expression and phosphorylation level of cortactin (CTTN), an F-actin-binding protein that is similar to flutamide, and we performed western blot analyses on testicular samples from mice subcutaneously injected with decaBDE (0.025, 0.25, and 2.5 mg/kg body weight/day) on postnatal days 1 to 5. Mice treated with low-dose decaBDE (0.025 mg/kg) showed reduced testicular weight, sperm count, elongated spermatid and Sertoli cell numbers, as well as induced Tyr phosphorylation of CTTN and reduced the expression level of p60 Src tyrosine kinase (SRC). Further, 0.25 and 2.5 mg/kg decaBDE-exposed groups produced an decrease the expression level of CTTN. High-dose decaBDE (2.5 mg/kg) showed increased abnormal germ cells, as well as induced Ser phosphorylation of CTTN and activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2); however, high-dose decaBDE did not affect testicular weight and sperm count. These findings suggest that postnatal exposure to low-dose decaBDE inhibits mouse testicular development by increasing Tyr phosphorylation of CTTN, although different mechanisms may be involved depending on the dose of decaBDE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidenobu Miyaso
- Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-Shi, Chiba, Japan
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Young JS, De Asis M, Guttman J, Vogl AW. Cortactin depletion results in short tubulobulbar complexes and spermiation failure in rat testes. Biol Open 2012; 1:1069-77. [PMID: 23213386 PMCID: PMC3507196 DOI: 10.1242/bio.20122519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tubulobulbar complexes are actin-related endocytic structures that form at sites of intercellular attachment in the seminiferous epithelium and are proposed to internalize intact junctions. In this study, we test the prediction that altering the structure/function of tubulobulbar complexes results in failure to release mature spermatids from Sertoli cells. We used an in vivo knockdown strategy to target cortactin, a component of tubulobulbar complexes, in Sprague Dawley rats. In each animal, one testis was surgically injected with cortactin siRNA reagents and the other testis was injected with non-targeting siRNA. After three days, experimental and control testes were processed for immunoblotting, electron microscopy or immunofluorescence microscopy. In testis sections immunostained for cortactin or labeled for filamentous actin, fluorescence microscopy revealed that tubulobulbar complexes were shorter in siRNA-treated testes relative to controls. Significantly, in the knockdown testes, spermiation was delayed in some tubules and had failed in others. When evaluated by electron microscopy, adhesion complexes (ectoplasmic specializations) remained associated with mature spermatids that failed to be released from Sertoli cells. Immunoblots both of whole testis lysates and of isolated seminiferous epithelial lysates confirmed that cortactin expression was knocked-down in experimental testes and in the seminiferous epithelium respectively, relative to controls. Moreover, in testes injected with siRNA reagents with a dye modification on one of the four targeting siRNA sequences, dye clusters were detected at the base of the epithelium confirming that the reagents entered Sertoli cells. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that tubulobulbar complexes internalize intercellular junctions and that they are a significant component of the sperm release mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- J'nelle S Young
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, The University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 , Canada
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Sun X, Kovacs T, Hu YJ, Yang WX. The role of actin and myosin during spermatogenesis. Mol Biol Rep 2010; 38:3993-4001. [DOI: 10.1007/s11033-010-0517-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/13/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Hermo L, Pelletier RM, Cyr DG, Smith CE. Surfing the wave, cycle, life history, and genes/proteins expressed by testicular germ cells. Part 2: changes in spermatid organelles associated with development of spermatozoa. Microsc Res Tech 2010; 73:279-319. [PMID: 19941292 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.20787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Spermiogenesis is a long process whereby haploid spermatids derived from the meiotic divisions of spermatocytes undergo metamorphosis into spermatozoa. It is subdivided into distinct steps with 19 being identified in rats, 16 in mouse and 8 in humans. Spermiogenesis extends over 22.7 days in rats and 21.6 days in humans. In this part, we review several key events that take place during the development of spermatids from a structural and functional point of view. During early spermiogenesis, the Golgi apparatus forms the acrosome, a lysosome-like membrane bound organelle involved in fertilization. The endoplasmic reticulum undergoes several topographical and structural modifications including the formation of the radial body and annulate lamellae. The chromatoid body is fully developed and undergoes structural and functional modifications at this time. It is suspected to be involved in RNA storing and processing. The shape of the spermatid head undergoes extensive structural changes that are species-specific, and the nuclear chromatin becomes compacted to accommodate the stream-lined appearance of the sperm head. Microtubules become organized to form a curtain or manchette that associates with spermatids at specific steps of their development. It is involved in maintenance of the sperm head shape and trafficking of proteins in the spermatid cytoplasm. During spermiogenesis, many genes/proteins have been implicated in the diverse dynamic events occurring at this time of development of germ cells and the absence of some of these have been shown to result in subfertility or infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Hermo
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B2.
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Vitale ML, Akpovi CD, Pelletier RM. Cortactin/tyrosine-phosphorylated cortactin interaction with connexin 43 in mouse seminiferous tubules. Microsc Res Tech 2010; 72:856-67. [PMID: 19725064 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.20771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Deletion of the cortactin gene leads to male infertility. Considering that cortactin is an actin filament (F-actin)-binding protein associated with intercellular junctions, we measured changes in the expression and distribution of cortactin and tyrosine phosphorylated cortactin (P-cortactin) in the seminiferous epithelium of developing and adult mice to address the physiological significance of cortactin to germ cell differentiation. Cortactin was expressed in neonatal and developing Sertoli cells. Cortactin levels decreased early during puberty, while P-cortactin increased. Cortactin labeling was intense in the basal and apical thirds of the epithelium. Sertoli cell cytoplasmic processes facing spermatogonia, preleptotene spermatocytes, and step 8-13 spermatids were intensely labeled by both cortactin and P-cortactin. In contrast, the middle region of Sertoli cells exhibited diffuse cortactin labeling but no P-cortactin. This is consistent with the view that plasma membrane segments facing germ cells are part of the continuum of Sertoli cell junctional complexes that extend over lateral and apical membranes of supporting cells. Moreover, F-actin and P-cortactin share a common location in the seminiferous epithelium. The increased P-cortactin levels detected during puberty may be related to the modulatory effect of cortactin tyrosine phosphorylation on actin assembly at sites of selected Sertoli cell-germ cell contacts. Cortactin and connexin 43 (Cx43) were physically linked in seminiferous tubule homogenates and their colocalization in the basal and apical thirds of the seminiferous epithelium was stage-dependent. Our results suggest that cortactin-Cx43 interaction helps coordinate formation of cell-to-cell junctions and organization of the subsurface actin cytoskeleton in specific regions of the epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Leiza Vitale
- Faculté de Médecine, Département de pathologie et biologie cellulaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Testicular gene expression profiling following 2-methoxyethanol and 2-ethoxyethanol exposure in male rats reveals abnormal expression of the actin binding protein cortactin in degenerating spermatocytes. Toxicol Lett 2009; 190:193-201. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2009.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2009] [Revised: 07/18/2009] [Accepted: 07/20/2009] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Anahara R, Toyama Y, Mori C. Review of the histological effects of the anti-androgen, flutamide, on mouse testis. Reprod Toxicol 2007; 25:139-43. [PMID: 18243649 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2007.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2007] [Revised: 11/25/2007] [Accepted: 12/19/2007] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
This is a mini-review summarizing recent findings on the effect of flutamide (FLUT), an anti-androgenic toxicant, on the mouse testis, particularly on the ectoplasmic specialization (ES) in the testis. FLUT induces a reduction in the weight of male reproductive tissues, such as the prostate, because it inhibits the formation of the androgen receptors and testosterone retention. The present review summarizes the abnormal histological changes produced in the mouse testis by FLUT. In addition, we outline the effect of FLUT on the expression of cortactin, an actin-binding protein, in the mouse testis. FLUT is often used as a positive control for the identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals having anti-androgenic activities; therefore, a detailed understanding of the adverse effects of FLUT is important for the analysis of the risks to spermatogenesis by anti-androgen-like endocrine disruptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reiko Anahara
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ryotokuji University, 5-8-1, Akemi, Urayasu, Chiba 279-8567, Japan.
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Anahara R, Yoshida M, Toyama Y, Maekawa M, Kai M, Ishino F, Toshimori K, Mori C. Estrogen agonists, 17beta-estradiol, bisphenol A, and diethylstilbestrol, decrease cortactin expression in the mouse testis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 69:101-7. [PMID: 16819149 DOI: 10.1679/aohc.69.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Previous reports have revealed that estrogen agonists or anti-androgenic chemicals induce abnormal spermiogenesis in rodents. In the seminiferous epithelium, the apical ectoplasmic specialization (ES) is an actin-based (cell-cell) junctional structure developing between the Sertoli cells and spermatids as is the basal ES also--although it is located between adjoining Sertoli cells. In the apical and basal ES are several adhesion complex proteins that control the spermatid developing process. Cortactin, an actin-binding protein, is one of the ES adhesion proteins, combining with several cell-cell adhesions associating proteins. In the present study, 17beta-estradiol (E2, 1.2 microg/kg), bisphenol A (BPA, 2.4 microg/kg), and diethylstilbestrol (DES, 2.5 microg/kg) were subcutaneously injected in ICR 12-week-old male mice. Mice testes were observed for the expression of cortactin protein after E2, BPA, and DES treatments by Western blot analysis, immunohistochemical analysis, and immunoelectron microscopic analysis. Observations showed that the immunoreactivity of the treated testes was significantly decreased. The immunohistochemical reactivity of cortactin in the apical ES was decreased in the treated testis. In immunoelectron microscopic observations, ultrastructural immunolocalizations of cortactin protein in the apical ES by both E2 and BPA were decreased, and the immuno-gold particles of apical and basal ES by DES were much less than the control. In the toxicological field, cortactin may be considered to be one of the indicator proteins of abnormal spermiogenesis which is affected by exogenous chemicals, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals. In summary, this study helps toward understanding the cortactin protein expression underlying the histological abnormalities of spermatogenesis induced by exogenous hormonal chemical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reiko Anahara
- Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Japan
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Anahara R, Toyama Y, Maekawa M, Yoshida M, Kai M, Ishino F, Toshimori K, Mori C. Anti-estrogen ICI 182.780 and anti-androgen flutamide induce tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin in the ectoplasmic specialization between the Sertoli cell and spermatids in the mouse testis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2006; 346:276-80. [PMID: 16756952 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.05.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2006] [Accepted: 05/19/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Our previous study revealed that the ectoplasmic specialization (ES) was deleted by the treatment of anti-estrogen, ICI 182.780 (ICI), and anti-androgen, flutamide (FLUT) in mouse testis. Also, expression of cortactin, an F-actin-binding protein, was decreased by the treatment of FLUT in mouse testis. Cortactin has been suggested to promote actin polymerizer at the ES in the testis, and also actin depolymerization is induced by tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin. The present study revealed that exogenous treatment of ICI and FLUT caused the deletion of the cortactin in the apical ES and the increase of tyrosine phosphorylated cortactin in mouse testis. These results suggest that the sex hormone antagonists', ICI and FLUT, induced actin depolymerization and tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin in the mouse testis. Also, the present study may be a key to elucidate the adverse affect exogenous compounds that affect spermiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reiko Anahara
- Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
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