title: Sertoli cell modulates MAA-induced apoptosis of germ cells throughout voltage-operated calcium channels.
abstract: Spontaneous cell death by apoptosis--occurring during normal spermatogenesis in mammals--is a prominent event, which results in the loss of up to 75% of the potential number of mature spermatozoa. In the rat testis, the most conspicuous dying cells are pachytene spermatocytes, which are also the primary target of the apoptosis experimentally induced by methoxyacetic acid (MAA). In this paper, we have used clusterin expression as an indicator of germ cell apoptosis in rat seminiferous tubules treated with MAA in the presence or in the absence of voltage-operated calcium channels (VOCCs) inhibitors. We performed both a qualitative analysis of clusterin expression by immunofluorescence experiments and a quantitative analysis of apoptosis by in situ end labeling of apoptotic germ cells followed by flow cytometry. The results obtained demonstrate that Sertoli cells, the somatic component of the seminiferous epithelium, which control male germ cell differentiation, also modulate MAA-induced apoptosis of germ cells throughout voltage-operated calcium channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Medical Embryology, University of Rome "La Sapienza," Via A. Scarpa 14, 00161 Rome, Italy. angela.dagostino@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Fortunata
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aguanno
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Alessio
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D051152:Clusterin; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D008297:Male; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D051152:Clusterin; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; C013598:methoxyacetic acid