This Article Accepted Manuscript (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 135/6/839    most recent REP-08-0012v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by O'Shaughnessy, P. Articles by Baker, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by O'Shaughnessy, P. Articles by Baker, P.

Effect of germ cell depletion on levels of specific mRNA transcripts in mouse Sertoli cells and Leydig cells

P O'Shaughnessy, Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G61 1QH, United Kingdom
L Hu, Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
P Baker, Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Correspondence: Peter O'Shaughnessy, Email: p.j.oshaughnessy{at}vet.gla.ac.uk

Abstract

It has been shown that testicular germ cell development is critically dependent upon somatic cell activity but, conversely, the extent to which germ cells normally regulate somatic cell function is less clear. This study was designed, therefore, to examine the effect of germ cell depletion on Sertoli cell and Leydig cell transcript levels. Mice were treated with busulphan to deplete the germ cell population and levels of mRNA transcripts encoding 26 Sertoli cell-specific proteins and 6 Leydig cell proteins were measured by real-time PCR up to 50 days after treatment. Spermatogonia were lost from the testis between 5 and 10 days after treatment while spermatocytes were depleted after 10 days and spermatids after 20 days. By 30 days after treatment most tubules were devoid of germ cells. Circulating FSH and intratesticular testosterone were not significantly affected by treatment. Of the 26 Sertoli cell markers tested, 13 showed no change in transcript levels after busulphan treatment, 2 showed decreased levels, 9 showed increased levels and 2 showed a biphasic response. In 60% of cases changes in transcript levels occurred after loss of the spermatids. Levels of mRNA transcripts encoding Leydig cell specific products related to steroidogenesis were unaffected by treatment. Results indicate 1) that germ cells play a major and widespread role in regulation of Sertoli cell activity 2) most changes in transcript levels are associated with the loss of spermatids and 3) Leydig cell steroidogenesis is largely unaffected by germ cell ablation.