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Jorgez CJ, Seth A, Wilken N, Bournat JC, Chen CH, Lamb DJ. E2F1 regulates testicular descent and controls spermatogenesis by influencing WNT4 signaling. Development 2021; 148:dev191189. [PMID: 33441379 PMCID: PMC7823160 DOI: 10.1242/dev.191189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cryptorchidism is the most common urologic birth defect in men and is a predisposing factor of male infertility and testicular cancer, yet the etiology remains largely unknown. E2F1 microdeletions and microduplications contribute to cryptorchidism, infertility and testicular tumors. Although E2f1 deletion or overexpression in mice causes spermatogenic failure, the mechanism by which E2f1 influences testicular function is unknown. This investigation revealed that E2f1-null mice develop cryptorchidism with severe gubernacular defects and progressive loss of germ cells resulting in infertility and, in rare cases, testicular tumors. It was hypothesized that germ cell depletion resulted from an increase in WNT4 levels. To test this hypothesis, the phenotype of a double-null mouse model lacking both Wnt4 and E2f1 in germ cells was analyzed. Double-null mice are fertile. This finding indicates that germ cell maintenance is dependent on E2f1 repression of Wnt4, supporting a role for Wnt4 in germ cell survival. In the future, modulation of WNT4 expression in men with cryptorchidism and spermatogenic failure due to E2F1 copy number variations may provide a novel approach to improve their spermatogenesis and perhaps their fertility potential after orchidopexy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina J Jorgez
- Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Abhishek Seth
- Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nathan Wilken
- Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Juan C Bournat
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ching H Chen
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Dolores J Lamb
- Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Brady Urology Department, Center for Reproductive Genomics and Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Bhushan S, Theas MS, Guazzone VA, Jacobo P, Wang M, Fijak M, Meinhardt A, Lustig L. Immune Cell Subtypes and Their Function in the Testis. Front Immunol 2020; 11:583304. [PMID: 33101311 PMCID: PMC7554629 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.583304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunoregulation in the testis is characterized by a balance between immuno-suppression (or immune privilege) and the ability to react to infections and inflammation. In this review, we analyze the phenotypes of the various immune cell subtypes present in the testis, and how their functions change between homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. Starting with testicular macrophages, we explore how this heterogeneous population is shaped by the testicular microenvironment to ensure immune privilege. We then describe how dendritic cells exhibit a tolerogenic status under normal conditions, but proliferate, mature and then stimulate effector T-cell expansion under inflammatory conditions. Finally, we outline the two T-cell populations in the testis: CD4+/CD8+ αβ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and describe the distribution and function of mast cells. All these cells help modulate innate immunity and regulate the immune response. By improving our understanding of immune cell behavior in the testis under normal and inflammatory conditions, we will be better placed to evaluate testis impairment due to immune mechanisms in affected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudhanshu Bhushan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Hessian Center of Reproductive Medicine, Justus-Leibig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - María S Theas
- Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología/Unidad Académica II, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vanesa A Guazzone
- Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología/Unidad Académica II, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Patricia Jacobo
- Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología/Unidad Académica II, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ming Wang
- Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Monika Fijak
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Hessian Center of Reproductive Medicine, Justus-Leibig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Andreas Meinhardt
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Hessian Center of Reproductive Medicine, Justus-Leibig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Livia Lustig
- Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología/Unidad Académica II, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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