title: High-mobility group box 1 regulates cytoprotective autophagy in a mouse spermatocyte cell line (GC-2spd) exposed to cadmium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental and industrial pollutant that induces a broad spectrum of toxicological effects, influences a variety of human organs, and is associated with poor semen quality and male infertility. Increasing evidence demonstrates that Cd induces testicular germ cell apoptosis in rodent animals. However, the specific effect of Cd exposure on autophagy in germ cells is poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigate the role of high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), a ubiquitous nuclear protein, on Cd-evoked autophagy in a mouse spermatocyte cell line (GC-2spd).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data have shown that autophagy was significantly elevated in GC-2spd cells exposed to Cd. Furthermore, there was a reduction in rapamycin (RAP)-mediated apoptosis. In addition, Cd exposure reduced cell viability, which is an effect that could be significantly inhibited by RAP treatment. These results indicate that autophagy appears to serve a positive function in reducing Cd-induced cytotoxicity. In addition, HMGB1 increased coincident with the processing of LC3-I to LC3-II. Thus, the upregulation of HMGB1 increases LC3-II levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that HMGB1-induced autophagy appears to act as a defense/survival mechanism against Cd cytotoxicity in GC-2spd cells.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, People's Republic of China. xiaofangsun@gzhmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D024002:HMGB Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D024002:HMGB Proteins; D002104:Cadmium
keywords: Apoptosis; Autophagy; Cadmium; HMGB1; LC3