Expression and functional role of hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor (c-met) during fetal mouse testis development
| Autor: | M. Galdieri, Giulia Ricci, Angela Catizone |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Ricci, Giulia, Catizone, A., Galdieri, M. |
| Rok vydání: | 2006 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty 3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases C-Met Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism medicine.medical_treatment Gestational Age Mice Inbred Strains Biology Organ culture Fetal Development Mice chemistry.chemical_compound Leydig cell Organ Culture Techniques Endocrinology Internal medicine Testis medicine Animals Testosterone RNA Messenger Receptor In Situ Hybridization Hepatocyte Growth Factor Relaxin Gene Expression Regulation Developmental Leydig Cells Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met Blotting Northern Immunohistochemistry testi Cytokine medicine.anatomical_structure chemistry embryonic structures Hepatocyte growth factor Tyrosine kinase c-met medicine.drug |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Endocrinology. 191:559-570 |
| ISSN: | 1479-6805 0022-0795 |
| DOI: | 10.1677/joe.1.06879 |
| Popis: | The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic cytokine able to regulate different cellular functions. HGF action is mediated by its receptor, c-met, a glycoprotein with tyrosine kinase activity. We previously demonstrated that c-met is expressed in the newly formed seminiferous cords of the mice embryonic testes and that HGF acts as a morphogenetic factor. In this paper, we report that at 15.5 days post-coitum (dpc) c-met is expressed in the testicular cords, whereas at 18.5 dpc c-met expression is almost exclusively localized in the interstitial tissue of the testis in particular in the fetal Leydig cells. In addition, we demonstrate that HGF gene is expressed during the fetal period of testis development, heavily detectable in the interstitial compartment of 18.5 dpc testes. Interestingly, HGF is not expressed in the Leydig cells that, as above reported, express the HGF receptor. Looking for the functional role of HGF on Leydig cells, we evaluated the amount of testosterone secreted by testes isolated from 18.5 dpc embryos and cultured in the presence of HGF. The results of the in vitro organ culture show that, at this age, HGF increases the amount of testosterone secreted in the culture medium. On the contrary, HGF does not modulate the amount of testosterone secreted by testes isolated from 15.5 dpc embryos. In conclusion, we report that HGF is produced in the interstitial compartment of the developing testis but not by the Leydig cells. Conversely, the HGF receptor c-met is expressed in the Leydig cells and HGF modulates Leydig cell function during the late period of prenatal development. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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