title: [Expression of estrogen receptor alpha in the testis of infertile men with spermatogenic arrest].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the association of spermatogenic arrest with the expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) in human testes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the testicular biopsy specimens of 120 infertile men by HE staining, detected the expression of ERalpha in the specimens of those with spermatogenic arrest by the two-step immunohistochemical method, and compared the results with those of 10 healthy men.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 120 specimens from the infertile men, 31 (25.8%) met the diagnostic criteria of spermatogenic arrest. In the testis tissue of normal men, ERalpha expressed in Sertoli, myoid and Leydig cells, but not in spermatogenic cells, while in the testis tissues of those with spermatogenic arrest, ERalpha expressed lowly in Sertoli, myoid and Leydig cells, with statistically significant differences in immunostaining intensity between the two groups (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Androgen receptor (AR) and ERalpha may play a coordinating role in facilitating spermatogenesis. Spermatogenic arrest may be related to a complex series of disorders in cell signal transduction involving AR, ERalpha and HSP90.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050051, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shou-yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Kang-ning
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhen-xian
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ting-jiang
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ke-jian
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ying-wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Fu-zhen
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xiang-yun
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha