Inducible 70 kDa heat shock protein does not protect spermatogenic cells from damage induced by cryptorchidism.
Accumulation of inducible heat shock proteins (e.g. Hsp70i) during cellular stress confers thermotolerance, reduces the consequences of damage and facilitates cellular recovery, while abrogation of Hsp70i expression renders sensitivity to apoptosis. Testis translocation into abdominal cavity, which results in temperature elevation, does not induce expression of the Hsp70i proteins. Despite constitutive expression of testis-specific Hsp70 proteins, spermatocytes are very sensitive to damage at elevated temperatures. To test whether Hsp70i protein could protect testes from heat-induced damage, we have engineered transgenic mice that over-express this protein selectively in spermatocytes and spermatids. We demonstrate that the testes of cryptorchid transgenic mice, like those of wild-type mice, exhibit reduced weight and smaller sizes of their seminiferous tubules, disorganization of their germinal epithelium structures, appearance of multinucleated giant cells, and reduced populations of germ cells. The data show that constitutive expression of Hsp70i does not protect the seminiferous epithelium against cryptorchidism-induced damage.
Widlak
Wieslawa
W
Department of Tumor Biology, Maria-Skłodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland. wwidlak@io.gliwice.pl
Winiarski
Boleslaw
B
Krawczyk
Aleksandra
A
Vydra
Natalia
N
Malusecka
Ewa
E
Krawczyk
Zdzislaw
Z
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019610:Cytoprotection / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D013087:Spermatids / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*
D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins