Androgen receptor transactivation domain and control of spermatogenesis
| Autor: | Amparo Mifsud, Qi Wang, Soon C. Ng, Eu Leong Yong, Farid J. Ghadessy |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1998 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Transcriptional Activation Infertility medicine.medical_specialty Biology Male infertility Prostate cancer Transactivation Internal medicine medicine Humans Spermatogenesis Receptor Infertility Male Repetitive Sequences Nucleic Acid Prostatic Neoplasms Obstetrics and Gynecology Polyglutamine tract medicine.disease Androgen receptor Endocrinology Reproductive Medicine Receptors Androgen Mutation General Agricultural and Biological Sciences |
| Zdroj: | Reviews of Reproduction. 3:141-144 |
| ISSN: | 1359-6004 |
| DOI: | 10.1530/ror.0.0030141 |
| Popis: | Male sex steroids (androgens) are important for maintaining sperm production and growth of the accessory sex organ, the prostate gland. This article examines the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in the control of spermatogenesis and focusses on the N-terminal transactivation domain of the receptor, a poorly studied region that is essential for receptor function. This domain is of great interest because of its causative relationship to a fatal neuromuscular disease, spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (Kennedy's syndrome). Genetic screening of the transactivation domain of the AR gene of 153 patients presenting solely with defective spermatogenesis and male infertility, and of over 72 healthy fertile controls was performed. Up to 20% of infertile males have reduced androgenicity caused by an increase in length of a polymorphic trinucleotide (CAG) repeat segment, encoding a polyglutamine tract, of the androgen receptor. The increased risk of male infertility associated with long CAG lengths is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer. Conversely, short polyglutamine tracts are associated with increased risk of prostate cancer but a reduced risk of male infertility. Thus depressed spermatogenesis and prostate cancer represent opposite ends of the spectrum of androgen receptor transactivation function. Improved understanding of androgen receptor action in these two important public health concerns could lead to rational and effective prevention and therapy. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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