title: Overexpression of CIRP may reduce testicular damage induced by cryptorchidism.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Research Center of Urology and Andrology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Ke-Wen
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xin-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hai-Dan
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Chen