Biol Reprod Track the topics, authors and articles important to you
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

BOR - Papers in Press, published online ahead of print December 3, 2003.
Biol Reprod 2003, 10.1095/biolreprod.103.022061
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (Rapid PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
70/4/1010    most recent
biolreprod.103.022061v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lee, K.-F.
Right arrow Articles by Luk, J. M
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lee, K.-F.
Right arrow Articles by Luk, J. M
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Lee, K.-F.
Right arrow Articles by Luk, J. M
Submitted August 6, 2003
Returned for revision August 26, 2003
Accepted November 26, 2003

Testis


Different Testicular Gene Expression Patterns in the First Spermatogenic Cycle of Postnatal and Vitamin A-Deficient Rat Testis

Kai-Fai Lee *, William S.B. Yeung , Judy F.C. Chow , Cathy K Shum , and John M Luk

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ckflee{at}hkucc.hku.hk.

Abstract
Spermatogenesis is a complicated process of germ cell differentiation, involving programmatic expression of diverse cell-type and developmental-stage specific genes. To date, the vitamin-A deficiency (VAD) rats and postnatal rats are two models commonly used to study spermatogenesis. In the present study, we studied the expression of 1,185 known genes in the vitamin-A-deficient and retinol-reinitiated spermatogenesis of rat testis using Clontech's Atlas rat cDNA expression arrays. The mRNA expression patterns of post-vitamin A (PVA) testis on Day 15 and 35 were compared with those of the spermatogenic arrested rat testis on Day 0. About 9% (110/1185) of the genes studied were highly expressed. When compared with VAD rat testis on Day 0, twenty and thirty-one genes were differentially expressed by a factor of 2-fold or greater on Day 15 and Day 35, respectively. Four genes (cytochrome P450 17, sulfated glycoprotein 2, protein kinase inhibitor {beta}, and cathepsin L) that play important roles on spermatogenesis were selected and their gene expression patterns were confirmed by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Comparison of the expression patterns of these genes between PVA-VAD and postnatal rat testis in developmentally matched stages, revealed substantial differences during the early stages of spermatogenesis. This discrepancy could be caused by either the presence of arrested but mature somatic cells in the PVA-VAD testis that may contribute to a unique gene expression pattern in this model or the direct effect of retinol on spermatogenesis. Therefore, caution is need on interpreting the gene expression data using the PVA-VAD and postnatal rat models on studying spermatogenesis in rat testes.

Key words: Male Reproductive Tract • Testis • Gene regulation • Spermatogenesis


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Mol Hum ReprodHome page
K.-F. Lee, Y.-T. Tam, Y. Zuo, A. W.Y. Cheong, R. T.K. Pang, N. P.Y. Lee, C. K.Y. Shum, P.-C. Tam, A. N.Y. Cheung, Z.-M. Yang, et al.
Characterization of an acrosome protein VAD1.2/AEP2 which is differentially expressed in spermatogenesis
Mol. Hum. Reprod., August 1, 2008; 14(8): 465 - 474.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Copyright © 2003 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.