title: Regulation of urokinase- and tissue-type plasminogen activator gene expression in the rat seminiferous epithelium.
abstract: The secretion of plasminogen activator by seminiferous tubules at defined stages of the epithelial cycle is influenced both by neighboring spermatogenic cells and by hormones. We have used cRNA probes for urokinase-type (uPA) and tissue-type (tPA) plasminogen activators to analyze their mRNA levels in different stages of the epithelial cycle. Urokinase-type PA mRNA was most abundant in stages VII-VIII, while tPA mRNA levels showed smaller variations between the different stages. Both FSH and (Bu)2cAMP increased the steady-state level of tPA mRNA and tPA production without affecting those of uPA in stages VII-IX in vitro, whereas retinoic acid treatment selectively increased the concentration uPA mRNA and uPA production in stages II-VI. The results show that the expression of the uPA and tPA genes is differentially regulated in specific stages of the rat seminiferous epithelium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Vihko
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Penttilä
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parvinen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Belin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010960:Plasminogen Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism*; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000235:genetics*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014212:Tretinoin; D003994:Bucladesine; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D010960:Plasminogen Activators; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator