Transforming growth factor- β1 (TGF-β1) has been reported to inhibit luteinizing hormone (LH) mediated-steroidogenesis in testicular Leydig cells. However, the mechanism by which TGF-β1 controls the steroidogenesis in Leydig cells is not well understood. Here, we investigated the possibility that TGF-β1 represses steroidogenesis through cross-talk with the orphan nuclear receptor Nur77. Nur77, ...

The aim of our study was to show whether the cells isolated from testes of patients underwent bilateral orchiectomy for prostatic cancer are able to grown in vitro, and if so, are functionally active. Immuncytochemistry was performed to show the functional status of human cultured cells. In detail, immunolocalization of luteinizing hormone receptors (LHR), mitochondria, and cytoskeletal element...

The present investigation examines the influence of IGF-I and the role of IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) in the apoptosis/survival of Leydig cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of the rat testis at different ages revealed that the level of the phosphorylated IGF-IR increases from birth to d 20 of postnatal life, remaining high in the adult testis. Western blotting revealed that this level is higher in...

AIM To investigate the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and its function in glucocorticoid-induced Leydig cell apoptosis. METHODS The Leydig cells were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats (90 days of age) and were incubated with corticosterone (CORT, glucocorticoid in rat) for 6 h, 12 h and 24 h, respectively. The P65 subunit of NF-kappa B (NF-kappa B/P65) in nuclei and th...

Establishment of the steroid-producing Leydig cell lineage is an event downstream of Sry that is critical for masculinization of mammalian embryos. Neither the origin of fetal Leydig cell precursors nor the signaling pathway that specifies the Leydig cell lineage is known. Based on the sex-specific expression patterns of Desert Hedgehog (Dhh) and its receptor Patched 1 (Ptch1) in XY gonads, we ...

Sertoli and Leydig cells, the two major somatic cell types in the testis, have different morphologies and functions. Both are essential for gonad development and spermatogenesis. However, whether these cells are derived from the same progenitor cells and the mechanism regulating the differentiation between these two cell types during gonad development remains unclear. A previous study showed th...

Primary points of control in steroidogenesis are the transport of cholesterol from intracellular stores to the inner mitochondrial membrane, and the subsequent conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone by the cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc). Testosterone production has been shown to decline in Brown Norway rat Leydig cells as the rats age. To better understand the mechanism by ...

Background: Atrazine (ATR), an herbicide, is used in order to control broadleaf and grassy weed. ATR has been estimated to impact the testicular tissue both by inhibiting the endocrine system and partly by reducing the antioxidant status. Thus, current study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of vitamin E and testosterone against ATR-induced damages in testicular tissue. Materials a...

Leydig cells are the major source of androgen in the male mammal. We describe here for the first time the development of the Leydig cell in a macropodid marsupial, the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii. Leydig cells are first recognized morphologically 2 days after birth with the appearance of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of certain interstitial cells. Lipid content closely matches the steroi...