title: Lanosterol metabolism and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) expression in male germ cell maturation.
abstract: Expression of genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis in male germ cells is insensitive to the negative cholesterol feedback regulation, in contrast to cholesterol level-sensitive/sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-dependent gene regulation in somatic cells. The role of sterol regulatory element binding proteins in spermatogenic cells was an enigma until recently, when a soluble, 55kDa cholesterol-insensitive form of SREBP2 (SREBP2gc) was discovered [Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 22 (2002) 8478], being translated from a germ cell-specific SREBP2 mRNA. Our RT-PCR results also show that SREBP2 as well as SREBP1c mRNAs are detectable in prepubertal and postpubertal male germ cells while SREBP1a is not detected. Surprisingly, three SREBP2 immunoreactive proteins (72, 63 and 55kDa), that are not present in mouse liver nuclei, reside in testis nuclei of prepubertal and adult mice. The 55kDa protein is likely SREBP2gc, the other two isoforms are novel. HPLC measurements in liver and testes of fasted prepubertal and postpubertal mice showed no significant difference in cholesterol level. However, FF-MAS and lanosterol/testis-meiosis activating sterol (T-MAS) intermediates that are detectable mainly in testes, increase in fasted postpubertal mice which coincides well with the elevated level of 68kDa SREBP2. Similar to SREBP2gc, the two novel SREBP2 immunoreactive proteins seem to be insensitive to the level of cholesterol.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Center for Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Klementina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fon Tacer
authors.forename: Svjetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalanj-Bognar
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Waterman
authors.forename: Damjana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rozman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007810:Lanosterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1; D051782:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 2; D013737:Testis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C497388:Srebf1 protein, mouse; C497391:Srebf2 protein, mouse; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1; D051782:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 2; D014157:Transcription Factors; D007810:Lanosterol