Overexpression of CIRP may reduce testicular damage induced by cryptorchidism.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the protective effect of overexpression of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) on testicular damage induced by cryptorchidism.


METHODS
Male BALB/c mice were made surgically cryptorchid and CIRP gene was transferred into the cryptorchid testis by in vivo electroporation. Seven or ten days after electroporation, the expression of CIRP, p53 and Fas mRNA and protein were analyzed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunoblotting, respectively. Meanwhile, Histopathological changes were observed by light microscope, and flow cytometry was used to detect testicular cell apoptosis.


RESULTS
Testicular weights after transfection with pVAX1-CIRP or pVAX1 were 0.083+/-0.005 g and 0.065+/-0.004 g, respectively, on day 7(P < 0.05) and 0.078+/-0.004 g and 0.052+/-0.007 g, on day 10 (P < 0.05). Testicular cell apoptosis after transfection with pVAX1-CIRP or pVAX1 were 9.8+/-1.1 % and 20.7+/-1.3 %, respectively, on day 7 (P < 0.01) and 10.4+/-0.9 % and 27.5+/-1.2 %, on day 10 (P < 0.01). In addition, the expression of CIRP mRNA and protein in the testes transfected with pVAX1-CIRP were both increased (P < 0.05) at each indicated time point. Meanwhile, the expression of p53 was decreased on day 7 (P < 0.05) and Fas was decreased on day 10(P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of CIRP may reduce testicular damage induced by cryptorchidism by down-regulating the levels of p53 and Fas.
Zhou
Ke-Wen
KW
Research Center of Urology and Andrology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan, China.
Zheng
Xin-Min
XM
Yang
Zhi-Wei
ZW
Zhang
Lin
L
Chen
Hai-Dan
HD