Constitutive production of interleukin-1alpha mRNA and protein in the developing rat testis.
Interleukin-1 (IL-1), a multifunctional cytokine produced mainly by activated macrophages, is also produced in the intact testis. Rat testicular IL-1 was found to be identical to IL-1alpha, judged by immunoneutralization of the bioactive protein and sequence comparison of cloned rat testicular and macrophage pro-IL-1alpha cDNA. Testicular IL-1alpha mRNA was first demonstrated on postnatal day 15, and the corresponding bioactive protein from day 20. IL-1alpha mRNA was still low on day 20, but then increased rapidly in parallel with the bioactive protein to establish a plateau level from day 25. In adult testes, IL-1alpha mRNA and immunoreactive protein were low in stage VII of the seminiferous epithelial cycle, whereas other stages showed a clearly detectable expression. In the adult testis, the concentration of IL-1alpha was 75 pg/mg testicular protein (approximately 200 pM). In conclusion, production of testicular IL-1alpha is developmentally and stage-dependently regulated, probably at the transcriptional level, emphasizing an important paracrine role in testicular function.
Wahab-Wahlgren
A
A
Department of Woman and Child Health, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. aida.wahlgren@kbh.ki.se
Holst
M
M
Ayele
D
D
Sultana
T
T
Parvinen
M
M
Gustafsson
K
K
Granholm
T
T
Söder
O
O
D000818:Animals; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007375:Interleukin-1; D012333:RNA, Messenger