Stage-specific Localization and Expression of c-kit in the Adult Human Testis
| Autor: | Jayesh V. Dhabalia, Shilpa Pathak, Deepa Bhartiya, Sreepoorna Unni, Deepak Modi |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2009 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Histology Stem cell factor In situ hybridization Biology Basement Membrane Article Testis medicine Humans RNA Messenger Spermatogenesis Receptor In Situ Hybridization Aged Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction Leydig Cells Middle Aged Immunohistochemistry Protein subcellular localization prediction Molecular biology Spermatogonia Epithelium Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit medicine.anatomical_structure Cytoplasm Anatomy |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry. 57:861-869 |
| ISSN: | 1551-5044 0022-1554 |
| DOI: | 10.1369/jhc.2009.953737 |
| Popis: | The c-kit receptor (KIT) and its ligand, stem cell factor (SCF), represent one of the key regulators of testicular formation, development, and function and have been extensively studied in various animal models. The present study was undertaken to characterize the pattern of localization and expression of c-kit in normal adult human testis. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that KIT is expressed in the cytoplasm of spermatogonia, acrosomal granules of spermatids, and Leydig cells. Interestingly, a rather heterogenous pattern of expression of the protein along the basement membrane was observed. Intense protein localization in spermatogonia was detected in stages I–III, whereas low expression was observed in stages IV–VI of the seminiferous epithelium, indicating that the expression of the molecule was stage specific. In situ hybridization studies revealed that the transcripts of the gene were also localized in a similar non-uniform pattern. To the best of our knowledge, such a stage-specific expression of KIT has not been reported previously in the human testis. The results of the present study may expand current knowledge about the c-kit/SCF system in human spermatogenesis. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:861–869, 2009) |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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