title: [Effects of single heat stress treatment on spermatogenic cells in mice].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of single heat stress treatment on spermatogenic cells in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly divided 36 C57 male mice into a control and a heat stress treatment group and submerged the lower part of the torso in water at 25 °C and 43 °C, respectively, both for 15 minutes. At 1, 7, and 14 days after treatment, we obtained the testicular organ indexes, observed the changes in testicular morphology by HE staining, and determined the location and expression levels of the promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF) and synaptonemal comlex protein-3 (SCP-3) in the testis tissue by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The testicular organ index was significantly lower in the heat stress treatment than in the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the controls, the heat shock-treated mice showed loosely arranged spermatogenic cells scattered in the seminiferous tubules at 1 day after heat stress treatment, atrophied, loosely arranged and obviously reduced number of spermatogenic cells at 7 days, and relatively closely arranged seminiferous tubules and increased number and layers of spermatogenic cells at 14 days. The number of SCP-3 labelled spermatocytes obviously decreased in the heat stress-treated animals at 1 and 7 days and began to increase at 14 days. The PLZF protein expression was significantly reduced in the heat stress treatment group at 1 day as compared with that in the control (0.19 ± 0.12 vs 0.64 ± 0.03, P < 0.01), but elevated to 0.77 ± 0.02 at 7 and 14 days, even remarkably higher than in the control animals (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Heat stress treatment can induce short-term dyszoospermia in mice, which can be recovered with the prolonged time after treatment.
authors.forename: Wen-zhi
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hong-cheng
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Hui-ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Xiao-xia
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiu-ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Yan-rong
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Liang-hong
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071156:Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000166:cytology; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C513293:Pml protein, mouse; D000071156:Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein; C490062:Sycp3 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins