title: [Expressions of cadherin molecules CDH18 and PCDH17 in human azoospermic testes].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expressions of cadherin molecules CDH18 and PCDH17 in normal and azoospermic human testes and their significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the routine pathological slices of normal and non-obstructive azoospermic human testis tissues for changes in the tight junction of Sertoli-germ cells, and identified the differential gene expression profiles of the normal and azoospermic testis tissues using cDNA microarrays containing multiple cadherin molecules. The results were confirmed by Western blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Abnormal tight junction of the Sertoli-germ cells was observed in 37.5% of the azoospermic testis samples, and obvious changes were seen in the expressions of some cadherin molecules, with down-regulation of CDH18 and PCDH17.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cadherin molecules such as CDH18 and PCDH17 may play a certain role in the development and progression of azoospermia, which might be related with the abnormal tight junction of the Sertoli-germ cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Xifing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710033, China. drboyung@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jian-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Xiao-Kang
authors.initials: XK
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: He-Liang
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wei-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fu-Xia
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000378:metabolism*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015536:Down-Regulation; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019108:Tight Junctions; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C104822:CDH18 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; C529349:PCDH17 protein, human