title: Nociceptin is upregulated by FSH signaling in Sertoli cells in murine testes.
abstract: In postnatal testes, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) acts on somatic Sertoli cells to activate gene expression directly via an intracellular signaling pathway composed of cAMP, cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), and promotes germ cell development indirectly. Yet, the paracrine factors mediating the FSH effects to germ cells remained elusive. Here we show that nociceptin, known as a neuropeptide, is upregulated by FSH through cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway in Sertoli cells in murine testes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation from Sertoli cells shows that CREB phosphorylated at Ser133 associates with prepronociceptin gene encoding nociceptin. Analyses with Sertoli cells and testes demonstrates that both prepronociceptin mRNA and the nociceptin peptide are induced after FSH signaling is activated. In addition, the nociceptin peptide is induced in testes after 9days post partum following FSH surge. Thus, our findings may identify nociceptin as a novel paracrine mediator of the FSH effects in the regulation of spermatogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan. etoko@gpo.kumamoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eto
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiotsuki
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation; D000097629:Nociceptin
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D018847:Opioid Peptides; D000097629:Nociceptin