TY - JOUR
T1 - Leydig cell-derived heme oxygenase-1 regulates apoptosis of premeiotic germ cells in response to stress
AU - Ozawa, Nobuaki
AU - Goda, Nobuhito
AU - Makino, Nobuya
AU - Yamaguchi, Tokio
AU - Yoshimura, Yasunori
AU - Suematsu, Makoto
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Stress-induced downregulation of spermatogenesis remains poorly understood. This study examined the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a carbon monoxide-generating inducible enzyme, in modulation of spermatogenesis. Rats were exposed to cadmium chloride (CdCl2), a stressor causing oligozoospermia, and HO-1-induction was monitored by following HO isozyme expression. CdCl2-treated testes increased HO-1 activity and suppressed microsomal cytochromes P450, which are required for steroidogenesis. CdCl2-elicited HO-1 occurred mostly in Leydig cells and coincided with CO generation, as judged by bilirubin-IXα immunoreactivity. Under these circumstances, germ cells in peripheral regions of seminiferous tubules exhibited apoptosis; laser flow cytometry revealed that these apoptotic cells involve diploid and tetraploid germ cells, suggesting involvement of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes in CdCl2-elicited apoptosis. Pretreatment with zinc protoporphyrin-IX, an HO inhibitor, but not copper protoporphyrin-IX, which does not block the enzyme, attenuated the CdCl2-induced apoptosis. Such antiapoptotic effects of zinc protoporphyrin-IX were repressed by supplementation of dichloromethane, a CO donor. Upon CdCl2-treatment, both Sertoli cells and the germ cells upregulated Fas ligand; this event was also suppressed by zinc protoporphyrin-IX and restored by dichloromethane. Thus, Leydig cells appear to use HO-1-derived CO to trigger apoptosis of premeiotic germ cells and thereby modulate spermatogenesis under conditions of stress.
AB - Stress-induced downregulation of spermatogenesis remains poorly understood. This study examined the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a carbon monoxide-generating inducible enzyme, in modulation of spermatogenesis. Rats were exposed to cadmium chloride (CdCl2), a stressor causing oligozoospermia, and HO-1-induction was monitored by following HO isozyme expression. CdCl2-treated testes increased HO-1 activity and suppressed microsomal cytochromes P450, which are required for steroidogenesis. CdCl2-elicited HO-1 occurred mostly in Leydig cells and coincided with CO generation, as judged by bilirubin-IXα immunoreactivity. Under these circumstances, germ cells in peripheral regions of seminiferous tubules exhibited apoptosis; laser flow cytometry revealed that these apoptotic cells involve diploid and tetraploid germ cells, suggesting involvement of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes in CdCl2-elicited apoptosis. Pretreatment with zinc protoporphyrin-IX, an HO inhibitor, but not copper protoporphyrin-IX, which does not block the enzyme, attenuated the CdCl2-induced apoptosis. Such antiapoptotic effects of zinc protoporphyrin-IX were repressed by supplementation of dichloromethane, a CO donor. Upon CdCl2-treatment, both Sertoli cells and the germ cells upregulated Fas ligand; this event was also suppressed by zinc protoporphyrin-IX and restored by dichloromethane. Thus, Leydig cells appear to use HO-1-derived CO to trigger apoptosis of premeiotic germ cells and thereby modulate spermatogenesis under conditions of stress.
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U2 - 10.1172/JCI0213190
DO - 10.1172/JCI0213190
M3 - Article
C2 - 11854317
AN - SCOPUS:0036174978
SN - 0021-9738
VL - 109
SP - 457
EP - 467
JO - Journal of Clinical Investigation
JF - Journal of Clinical Investigation
IS - 4
ER -