Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of endothelial growth and permeability. However, VEGF may also target nonendothelial cells, as VEGF receptors and responsiveness have been detected for example in monocytes, and high concentrations of VEGF have been reported in human semen. In this work we present evidence that overexpression of VEGF in the testis and epididymis of tr...

Sertoli cells are an essential group of cells in seminiferous epithelium which provide nutritional and structural supports for spermatogenic cells via cell junctions. In this study, the gene expression of connexin-43, the most abundantly distributed gap junction protein of cells, was investigated in ram Sertoli cells under mild and severe heat stresses with real-time quantitative PCR. Sertoli c...

ABSTRACT Heterochromatin-related epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, facilitate pairing of homologous chromosomes during the meiotic prophase mammalian spermatogenesis. In pro-spermatogonia, de novo methylation plays a key role in completing and initiating division. However, maintenance regulation meiosis, especially adult, is not well understood. Here, we reveal that NP95 (also kno...

BACKGROUND Testicular sperm retrieval can lead to paternity for azoospermic patients with spermatogenic failure. The human BOULE gene, a meiotic regulator of germ cells, is a gene whose altered expression may be associated with sterility. We determined the levels of BOULE transcripts in the testes of azoospermic patients, and evaluated the relationship between BOULE transcript levels and patien...