Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its receptors GFRalpha-1 and GFRalpha-2 in the human testis
- PMID: 11732574
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its receptors GFRalpha-1 and GFRalpha-2 in the human testis
Abstract
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its receptors GFRalpha-1 and GFRalpha-2 were found in the human testis during fetal development (15-34 weeks of gestation) and in adult men (51-86 years of age) by means of RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot techniques. Gene expression of GDNF could be established in the human testis and immunoreactivity (IR) for GDNF was detectable in Leydig cells, Sertoli cells, some spermatocytes and round spermatids as well as in smooth muscle cells of the wall of arterioles and small arteries. In the adult human testis, Sertoli and Leydig cells showed GFRalpha-1-IR, whereas GFRalpha-2-IR was located exclusively in Leydig cells. Different to man, in the rat GDNF-IR in Sertoli cells was detectable only until postnatal day10, providing evidence for species related variability in the expression of GDNF. These findings suggest a critical role for GDNF during the differentiation of testicular structures and provide evidence for an additional important function in the adult human and rodent testis.
Similar articles
-
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its receptor complex are expressed in the auditory nerve of the mature rat cochlea.Hear Res. 2001 May;155(1-2):143-51. doi: 10.1016/s0378-5955(01)00227-1. Hear Res. 2001. PMID: 11335084
-
Evidence for a ligand-specific signaling through GFRalpha-1, but not GFRalpha-2, in the absence of Ret.J Neurosci Res. 2001 Nov 1;66(3):390-5. doi: 10.1002/jnr.1231. J Neurosci Res. 2001. PMID: 11746356
-
Cells of the human optic nerve head express glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and the GDNF receptor complex.Mol Vis. 2003 Jun 16;9:249-56. Mol Vis. 2003. PMID: 12813408
-
Protective effects of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in ischemic brain injury.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 May;962:423-37. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04086.x. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002. PMID: 12076993 Review.
-
The coming of age of the GDNF family and its receptors: gene delivery in a rat Parkinson model may have clinical implications.Trends Neurosci. 1997 Jul;20(7):277-9. doi: 10.1016/s0166-2236(97)01098-9. Trends Neurosci. 1997. PMID: 9223215 Review. No abstract available.
Cited by
-
Haploid Germ Cells Generated in Organotypic Culture of Testicular Tissue From Prepubertal Boys.Front Physiol. 2018 Oct 9;9:1413. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01413. eCollection 2018. Front Physiol. 2018. PMID: 30356879 Free PMC article.
-
Role of the Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Protein TEX101 and Its Related Molecules in Spermatogenesis.Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 10;21(18):6628. doi: 10.3390/ijms21186628. Int J Mol Sci. 2020. PMID: 32927778 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The battle of the sexes for stroke therapy: female- versus male-derived stem cells.CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2013 May 1;12(3):405-412. doi: 10.2174/1871527311312030013. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2013. PMID: 23469849 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Gene expression profiling of rat spermatogonia and Sertoli cells reveals signaling pathways from stem cells to niche and testicular cancer cells to surrounding stroma.BMC Genomics. 2011 Jan 13;12:29. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-29. BMC Genomics. 2011. PMID: 21232125 Free PMC article.
-
The production of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor by human sertoli cells is substantially reduced in sertoli cell-only testes.Hum Reprod. 2017 May 1;32(5):1108-1117. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dex061. Hum Reprod. 2017. PMID: 28369535 Free PMC article.