title: Apoptosis process in mouse Leydig cells during postnatal development.
abstract: The development of Leydig cells in mammals has been widely described as a biphasic pattern with two temporally mature Leydig cell populations, fetal stage followed by the adult generation beginning at puberty. In the present study, mouse Leydig cells were examined for apoptosis during postnatal testis development using electron microscopy and in situ DNA fragmentation by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase staining (TdT). Both the morphological study and the DNA fragmentation analysis showed that cellular death by apoptosis did not occur in Leydig cells during the neonatal, prepubertal, puberty, and adult periods. From these results, we suggest that the remaining fetal Leydig cells in the neonatal testis are associated with the involution or degeneration processes. In contrast, in the prepubertal and puberty stages, fragmentation of apoptotic DNA was detected in germ cells present in some seminiferous tubules.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Biology, State University of Londrina, CX, Postal 6001, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil. maze@uel.br
authors.forename: Maria José Salles
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Zilá Luz Paulino
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: Laurelucia Orive
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Lunardi
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hartfelder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism