scholarly journals Nitric Oxide and Cyclic Nucleotides: Their Roles in Junction Dynamics and Spermatogenesis

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki P. Y. Lee ◽  
C. Yan Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Germ Cell ◽  
Tight Junctions ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Downstream Signaling ◽  
Oxide Synthase

Spermatogenesis is a highly complicated process in which functional spermatozoa (haploid, 1n) are generated from primitive mitotic spermatogonia (diploid, 2n). This process involves the differentiation and transformation of several types of germ cells as spermatocytes and spermatids undergo meiosis and differentiation. Due to its sophistication and complexity, testis possesses intrinsic mechanisms to modulate and regulate different stages of germ cell development under the intimate and indirect cooperation with Sertoli and Leydig cells, respectively. Furthermore, developing germ cells must translocate from the basal to the apical (adluminal) compartment of the seminiferous epithelium. Thus, extensive junction restructuring must occur to assist germ cell movement. Within the seminiferous tubules, three principal types of junctions are found namely anchoring junctions, tight junctions, and gap junctions. Other less studied junctions are desmosome-like junctions and hemidesmosome junctions. With these varieties of junction types, testes are using different regulators to monitor junction turnover. Among the uncountable junction modulators, nitric oxide (NO) is a prominent candidate due to its versatility and extensive downstream network. NO is synthesized by nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Three traditional NOS, specified as endothelial NOS (eNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and neuronal NOS (nNOS), and one testis-specific nNOS (TnNOS) are found in the testis. For these, eNOS and iNOS were recently shown to have putative junction regulation properties. More important, these two NOSs likely rely on the downstream soluble guanylyl cyclase/cGMP/protein kinase G signaling pathway to regulate the structural components at the tight junctions and adherens junctions in the testes. Apart from the involvement in junction regulation, NOS/NO also participates in controlling the levels of cytokines and hormones in the testes. On the other hand, NO is playing a unique role in modulating germ cell viability and development, and indirectly acting on some aspects of male infertility and testicular pathological conditions. Thus, NOS/NO bears an irreplaceable role in maintaining the homeostasis of the microenvironment in the seminiferous epithelium via its different downstream signaling pathways.

scholarly journals A seamless trespass: germ cell migration across the seminiferous epithelium during spermatogenesis

2007 ◽  
Vol 178 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Q.F. Wang ◽  
C. Yan Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Germ Cell ◽  
Tight Junctions ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Cell Junctions ◽  
Immunoglobulin Superfamily ◽  
Leukocyte Transmigration ◽  
Germ Cell Migration

During spermatogenesis, preleptotene spermatocytes traverse the blood–testis barrier (BTB) in the seminiferous epithelium, which is reminiscent of viral pathogens breaking through the tight junctions of host epithelial cells. The process also closely resembles the migration of leukocytes across endothelial tight junctions to reach inflammation sites. Cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily (e.g., JAM/CAR/nectin) participate in germ cell migration by conferring transient adhesion between Sertoli and germ cells through homophilic and heterophilic interactions. The same molecules also comprise the junctional complexes at the BTB. Interestingly, JAM/CAR/nectin molecules mediate virus uptake and leukocyte transmigration in strikingly similar manners. It is likely that the strategy used by viruses and leukocytes to break through junctional barriers is used by germ cells to open up the inter–Sertoli cell junctions. In associating these diverse cellular events, we highlight the “guiding” role of JAM/CAR/nectin molecules for germ cell passage. Knowledge on viral invasion and leukocyte transmigration has also shed insights into germ cell movement during spermatogenesis.

scholarly journals Testosterone immunoreactivity in the seminiferous epithelium of rat testis: effect of treatment with ethane dimethanesulfonate.

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1667-1673 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Schulz ◽  
F Paris ◽  
P Lembke ◽  
V Blüm
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cell ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Plasma Testosterone ◽  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Treatment Level ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Testicular Weight

Androgens drive spermatogenesis by processes that are largely unknown. Direct effects on germ cells and indirect effects mediated via testicular somatic elements are currently under consideration, and specific localization of androgens in seminiferous tubules may provide information as regards this. Adult male rats were injected with ethane dimethanesulfonate (EDS; 75 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle. Testes were fixed and paraffin-embedded for localization of testosterone immunoreactivity 1 and 2 weeks after treatment, using the unlabeled antibody (PAP) technique. Plasma testosterone dropped from a pre-treatment level of 2.3 ng/ml to below 0.2 ng/ml 3 days after EDS injection and remained at low levels until the end of observation, accompanied by a progressive decrease in testicular weight. In the seminiferous tubules of vehicle-injected males, testosterone immunoreactivity was found in nuclei of spermatocytes and spermatids and in nuclei and the cytoplasm of Sertoli cells, and showed typical variations according to the stage of spermatogenesis. One week after EDS treatment, immunoreactivity had disappeared from the seminiferous epithelium. Two weeks after treatment, staining of germ cells was detected in two out of four males. The disappearance and reappearance of immunoreactivity coincided with the time course of EDS effects on rat Leydig cells, and we conclude that it corresponds to androgen specifically localized in fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. Because staining of germ cell nuclei varied with the stage of spermatogenesis, the technique may detect a physiologically relevant androgen fraction; its location suggests that androgens may also directly affect certain germ cell stages.

Correlation between blood-testis barrier development and onset of the first spermatogenic wave in normal and busulfan-treated rats

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 78-79
Author(s):  
Juan C. Cavicchia ◽  
Fabio L. Sacerdote
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cell ◽  
Tight Junctions ◽  
Basal Lamina ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Synaptonemal Complexes ◽  
New Born

Pregnant rats (day 13) received 10mg/kg of Busulfan i.p. in order to deplete of germ cell the testes of the new born rats. The seminiferous tubules of their off spring from postnatal age 1 day up to day 35 were examined with TEM after fixation plus intercellular tracers, and with freeze-fracture techniques. During this period, the inter-Sertoli tight junctions of controls increase both in numbers and in length. Between days 10 and 13 the seminiferous cords have numerous preleptotene and leptotene spermatocytes (Fig.1) surrounded by tracer. The inter-Sertoli junctions are tortuous and predominantly perpendicular to the basal lamina. Between ages 13 and 20 days the seminiferous epithelium reaches zygotene-pachytene stages (fig.2) identified by the presence of synaptonemal complexes. The tracer is stopped at the inter-Sertoli junctions at this stage, whereas it still permeates tubules displaying preleptotene and leptotene spermatocytes.Freeze-fracture shows that the orientation of inter-Sertoli junctions has changed to parallel, both to each other and to the basal lamina (fig.3). In the Busulfan treated rats, the tubules continue having, up to postnatal day 30, only Sertoli cells and scanty spermatogonia.

Effects of Hypoxic Acclimation, Muscle Strain and Contraction Frequency on Nitric Oxide-Mediated Myocardial Performance in Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Carnevale ◽  
Douglas A. Syme ◽  
A. Kurt Gamperl
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Myocardial Contractility ◽  
Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Surprising Result ◽  
Muscle Strain ◽  
No Donor ◽  
Contraction Frequency ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Hypoxic Acclimation

Whether hypoxic acclimation influences nitric oxide (NO)-mediated control of fish cardiac function is not known. Thus, we measured the function / performance of myocardial strips from normoxia and hypoxia-acclimated (40% air saturation; ~ 8 kPa O2) trout at several frequencies (20 - 80 contractions min-1) and two muscle strain amplitudes (8 and 14%) when exposed to increasing concentrations of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (10-9 to 10-4 M). Further, we examined the influence of: 1) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) produced NO (by blocking NOS with 10-4 M L-NMMA); and 2) soluble guanylyl cyclase mediated, NOS-independent, NO effects (i.e., after blockade with 10-4 M ODQ), on myocardial contractility. Hypoxic acclimation increased twitch duration by 8-10% and decreased mass-specific net power by ~35%. However, hypoxic acclimation only had minor impacts on the effects of SNP and the two blockers on myocardial function. The most surprising result of this study was the degree to which contraction frequency and strain amplitude influenced NO-mediated effects on myocardial power. For example, at 8% strain 10-4 SNP resulted in a decrease in net power of ~30% at 20 min-1 but an increase of ~20% at 80 min-1, and this effect was magnified at 14% strain. This study: suggests that hypoxic acclimation has only minor effects on NO-mediated myocardial contractility in salmonids; is the first to report the highly frequency- and strain-dependent nature of NO effects on myocardial contractility in fishes; and supports previous work showing that NO effects on the heart (myocardium) are finely tuned spatio-temporally.

scholarly journals Synaptic Localization of Nitric Oxide Synthase and Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase in the Hippocampus

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 8961-8970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Burette ◽  
Ulrike Zabel ◽  
Richard J. Weinberg ◽  
Harald H. H. W. Schmidt ◽  
Juli G. Valtschanoff
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Synaptic Localization ◽  
Oxide Synthase

TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma induce expression of nitric oxide synthase in cultured rat medullary interstitial cells

1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (2) ◽  
pp. F212-F217 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Lau ◽  
O. Nakashima ◽  
G. R. Aalund ◽  
L. Hogarth ◽  
K. Ujiie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle ◽  
Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Tnf Alpha ◽  
No Production ◽  
Ifn Gamma ◽  
Oxide Synthase

Cytokines increase the expression of the inducible (type II) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in macrophages, liver, and renal epithelial cells. Previously, we found that cultured rat medullary interstitial cells (RMIC) contain high levels of soluble guanylyl cyclase. To determine whether these cells can also produce NO, we studied the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) on NO production, NOS II mRNA, and NOS II protein expression. Both TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, in the presence of a low concentration of the other cytokine, caused dose-dependent increases in NO production. Exposure to TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma stimulated the production of NOS II mRNA, as determined by Northern blotting. Restriction mapping of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction products indicated that normal cells contained macrophage NOS II, whereas cytokine-stimulated cells contained primarily vascular smooth muscle NOS II and some macrophage NOS II. The appearance of NOS II protein was demonstrated by Western blotting. RMIC cell guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate accumulation increased 129-fold in response to the cytokines. NOS inhibitors decreased nitrite production. We conclude that 1) TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma induce the expression of vascular smooth muscle NOS II and production of NO in RMIC, and 2) NO acts as an autocrine activator of the soluble guanylyl cyclase in RMIC.

286 EXPRESSION OF PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL MARKERS IN DOMESTIC CAT SPERMATOGONIAL CELLS

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 290 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Powell ◽  
M. N. Biancardi ◽  
J. Galiguis ◽  
Q. Qin ◽  
C. E. Pope ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Flow Cytometry ◽  
Basement Membrane ◽  
Germ Cell ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Spermatogonial Stem Cells ◽  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Cell Populations ◽  
Surface Markers ◽  
Cell Markers

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSC), progenitor cells capable of both self-renewal and producing daughter cells that will differentiate into sperm, can be manipulated for transplantation to propagate genetically important males. This application was demonstrated in felids by the successful xeno-transplantation of ocelot mixed germ cells into the testes of domestic cats, which resulted in the production of ocelot sperm (Silva et al. 2012 J. Androl. 33, 264–276). Spermatogonial stem cells are in low numbers in the testis, but have been identified and isolated in different mammalian species using SSC surface markers; however, their expression varies among species. Until recently, little was known about the expression of SSC surface markers in feline species. We previously demonstrated that many mixed germ cells collected from adult cat testes express the germ cell markers GFRα1, GPR125, and C-Kit, and a smaller population of cells expresses the pluripotent SSC-specific markers SSEA-1 and SSEA-4 (Powell et al. 2011 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 24, 221–222). In the present study, our goal was to identify germ cell and SSC-specific markers in SSC from cat testes. Immunohistochemical (IHC) localization of germ cell markers GFRα1, GPR125, and C-Kit and pluripotent SSC-specific markers SSEA-1, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, and Oct-4 was detected in testis tissue from both sexually mature and prepubertal males. Testes were fixed with modified Davidson’s fixative for 24 h before processing, embedding, and sectioning. The EXPOSE Mouse and Rabbit Specific HRP/DAB detection IHC kit (Abcam®, Cambridge, MA, USA) was used for antibody detection. Staining for SSEA-1, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, and Oct-4 markers was expressed specifically at the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubules in both adult and prepubertal testes. The GFRα1 and GPR125 markers were detected at the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubules and across the seminiferous tubule section. However, C-Kit was not detected in any cell. Using flow cytometry from a pool of cells from seven adult testes, we detected 45% GFRα1, 50% GPR125, 59% C-Kit, 18% TRA-1-60, 16% TRA-1-81 positive cells, and a very small portion of SSEA-1 (7%) and SSEA-4 (3%) positive cells. Dual staining of germ cells pooled from 3 testes revealed 3 distinct cell populations that were positive for GFRα1 only (23%), positive for both GFRα1 and SSEA-4 (6%), and positive for SSEA-4 only (1%). Our IHC staining of cat testes indicated that cells along the basement membrane of seminiferous tubules were positive for SSC-specific markers, and flow cytometry analysis revealed that there were different cell populations expressing both germ cell and SSC-specific markers. Flow cytometry results show overlapping germ cell populations expressing SSEA-4 and GFRα1, and IHC results reveal that SSEA-4 positive cells are spermatogonia, whereas GFRα1 positive cells include other stages of germ cells, indicating that the small population of cells positive only for SSEA-4 is undifferentiated cat SSC.

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