title: Expression of cathepsin L in human testis under diverse infertility conditions.
abstract: The cathepsin family of proteolytic enzymes play an important role in the remodeling seminiferous epithelia in rodent testis. In an effort to uncover the cathepsin L expression in diverse pathological conditions in human testis, the immunohistochemical localization of cathepsin L was conducted in human testis under diverse male infertility condition including spermatogenic hypoplasia and testis cancer. In seminiferous tubule of normal, non-obstructive azoospermic, decreased spermatogenesis, and maturation arrest conditions, cathepsin L was found in both germ cells and Sertoli cells. In contrast, there was no visible expression of cathepsin L in seminiferous tubule tissues from Sertoli cell-only syndrome, spermatogenic hypoplasia, and testicular cancer. Our result suggests that the cross-talk between germ cells and Sertoli cells is crucial for the control of cathepsin L expression in human testis. The absence of expression of cathepsin L in germ cell cancer emphasizes that cathepsin L expression in Sertoli cells is regulated by functional germ cells in human testis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea. mcgye@hanyang.ac.kr
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gye
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007246:Infertility / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000201:enzymology; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D013737:Testis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002403:Cathepsins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C534281:CTSL protein, human; D056668:Cathepsin L