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Zhang B, Ma W, Zhu Q, Xu W, Gao L, Xu B, Xu S, Gao C, Gao L, Liu J, Cui Y. The SET protein promotes androgen production in testicular Leydig cells. Andrology 2018; 6:478-487. [PMID: 29481720 PMCID: PMC6001814 DOI: 10.1111/andr.12476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Approximately 40% of middle‐aged men exhibit symptoms of late‐onset hypogonadism (LOH). However, the mechanism of androgen deficiency is still currently unclear. As shown in our previous studies, the SET protein is expressed in testicular Leydig cells and ovarian granule cells. This study was designed to investigate the effect of the SET protein on androgen production in Leydig cells. The AdCMV/SET and AdH1siRNA/SET adenoviruses were individually transduced into a cultured mouse Leydig cell line (mLTC‐1) with or without human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) stimulation in vitro. The primary mouse Leydig cells were used to confirm the main data from mLTC‐1 cells. The SET protein was expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of mLTC‐1 cells. Testosterone production was significantly increased in mLTC‐1 cells overexpressing the SET protein compared with the control group (p < 0.05), whereas testosterone production was significantly decreased in the SET knockdown mLTC‐1 cells (p < 0.05). Consistent with the testosterone levels, the expression levels of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) and cytochrome P450c17α‐hydroxylase (CYP17a1) mRNAs and proteins synchronously changed according to the expression level of the SET protein. Interestingly, the expression of the SET protein was significantly increased in the mLTC‐1 cells stimulated with 0.04 and 0.1 U/mL hCG. In the mLTC‐1 cells transfected with AdH1siRNA/SET and concurrently stimulated with 0.1 U/mL hCG, both testosterone production and StAR expression were significantly lower than in the cells without SET knockdown (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the SET protein participates in regulating testosterone production by increasing the expression of StAR and CYP17a1, and it may be a downstream factor of the classic luteinizing hormone (LH)/luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) signaling pathway. This study improves our understanding of the intracellular mechanism of testicular steroidogenesis and the pathophysiological mechanism of LOH in the aging male.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - W Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Q Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - W Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - L Gao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - B Xu
- Department of Gynecology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - S Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - C Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - L Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - J Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Y Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Xu S, Liu X, Gao L, Xu B, Li J, Gao C, Cui Y, Liu J. Development and identification of Set transgenic mice. Exp Ther Med 2017; 15:1982-1988. [PMID: 29434793 PMCID: PMC5776649 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2017.5612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As a multifunctional protein involved in numerous biological processes, Set is expressed in several embryonic and adult organs. Furthermore, Set is overexpressed in numerous types of human cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. The expression of Set in germ cells is involved in gonad development, and the overexpression of Set has been observed in polycystic ovaries. In order to elucidate the physiological and pathological roles of Set, a Set transgenic mouse model was developed, in which the global overexpression of Set in adult tissues could be induced via the Cre/loxP system with the precise deletion of the Stop fragment in double-transgenic hybrids. This result was then confirmed by genotypical and protein analysis using polymerase chain reaction and bioluminescence imaging. In conclusion, the conditional Set transgenic mice carrying a reporter system were successfully generated. The transgenic mice open a new window for the further investigation of the function of Set using tissue-specific Cre mice and inducible Cre systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siliang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Clinical Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoqiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Clinical Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Lingling Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Clinical Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Boqun Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Jianmin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Clinical Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Chao Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Clinical Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Yugui Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Clinical Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Jiayin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Clinical Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
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Xu Y, Zhou T, Shao L, Zhang B, Liu K, Gao C, Gao L, Liu J, Cui Y, Chian RC. Gene expression profiles in mouse cumulus cells derived from in vitro matured oocytes with and without blastocyst formation. Gene Expr Patterns 2017; 25-26:46-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Yeste
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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