CFTR expression is regulated during both the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium and the oestrous cycle of rodents.
Severely reduced fertility is a common finding in cystic fibrosis (CF). We used in situ hybridization to examine the cell-specific expression of CFTR in the reproductive organs of rodents. In males CFTR mRNA is found in the round spermatids (spermatogenic stages V-X) and in the principal cells that line the initial segment of the epididymis. In both the testis and the epididymis, CFTR expression is developmentally regulated suggesting that the defect in the genital tract of male CF patients is of developmental origin. CFTR expression in the luminal and glandular epithelium of the uterus is regulated during the oestrous cycle and is maximal at pro-oestrus. Our results provide a biological rationale for the reduced fertility of CF patients, and suggest a possible cause for the comparatively poorer prognosis for women with CF.
Trezise
A E
AE
Department of Genetics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Linder
C C
CC
Grieger
D
D
Thompson
E W
EW
Meunier
H
H
Griswold
M D
MD
Buchwald
M
M
D000818:Animals; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator; D004822:Epididymis / Q000503:physiopathology; D004971:Estrus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007246:Infertility / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D015335:Molecular Probes; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000503:physiopathology; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics
D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015335:Molecular Probes; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator