scholarly journals 244.Interaction between bone morphogenetic protein 4 and retinoid signalling in mouse spermatogenesis

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
R. M. Baleato ◽  
R. J. Aitken ◽  
S. D. Roman

Vitamin A (retinol, or ROL) is also essential for normal spermatogenesis in the rat and mouse. Vitamin A-deficient (VAD) rodents suffer various disorders including blindness and male infertility. The molecular mechanisms leading to infertility in vitamin A deficient rodents have never been fully elucidated. Following prolonged vitamin A withdrawal the only germ cells remaining in the VAD rodent testis are stem cell spermatogonia, type A1 spermatogonia, and a few preleptotene spermatocytes. Supplementing the diet of these animals with retinoic acid (RA) alleviates all symptoms of vitamin A deficiency, with the exception of sight and spermatogenesis. It is not until VAD animals are re-administered ROL through the diet, or RA is injected in repeated high doses directly into the testis, that normal spermatogenic function is restored. Here we report an interaction, in germ cells, between the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) 4 and retinoid signalling pathways that may help explain the molecular mechanics of vitamin A deficiency. We localised BMP4 gene expression to adult germ cells, in particular spermatogonia, at both the mRNA and protein level. We generated VAD mice and found that in the absence of retinoids in vivo, bmp4 gene expression was significantly upregulated in the testis. We also observed that the expression of bmp4 is downregulated by retinoid treatment in germ cells isolated from vitamin A sufficient mice. Expression of bmp4 mRNA in isolated spermatogonia was more sensitive to ROL rather than RA. Our results may reflect a direct requirement for ROL by germ cells for the resumption of spermatogenesis in VAD animals that involves the regulation of BMP4 expression. Furthermore our observations suggest that retinoid signalling in germ cells is different to that observed in somatic cells, and may provide insights into the role of retinoids in spermatogenesis.

Endocrinology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 147 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damiana Giacomini ◽  
Marcelo Páez-Pereda ◽  
Marily Theodoropoulou ◽  
Marta Labeur ◽  
Damian Refojo ◽  
...  

The molecular mechanisms governing the pathogenesis of ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas are still obscure. Furthermore, the pharmacological treatment of these tumors is limited. In this study, we report that bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) is expressed in the corticotrophs of human normal adenohypophysis and its expression is reduced in corticotrophinomas obtained from Cushing’s patients compared with the normal pituitary. BMP-4 treatment of AtT-20 mouse corticotrophinoma cells has an inhibitory effect on ACTH secretion and cell proliferation. AtT-20 cells stably transfected with a dominant-negative form of the BMP-4 signal cotransducer Smad-4 or the BMP-4 inhibitor noggin have increased tumorigenicity in nude mice, showing that BMP-4 has an inhibitory role on corticotroph tumorigenesis in vivo. Because the activation of the retinoic acid receptor has an inhibitory action on Cushing’s disease progression, we analyzed the putative interaction of these two pathways. Indeed, retinoic acid induces both BMP-4 transcription and expression and its antiproliferative action is blocked in Smad-4dn- and noggin-transfected Att-20 cells that do not respond to BMP-4. Therefore, retinoic acid induces BMP-4, which participates in the antiproliferative effects of retinoic acid. This new mechanism is a potential target for therapeutic approaches for Cushing’s disease.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Frossard Ribeiro Mendes ◽  
Egle Machado de Almeida Siqueira ◽  
João Gabriel Marques de Brito e Silva ◽  
Sandra Fernandes Arruda

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 1389-1399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janette N. Zara ◽  
Ronald K. Siu ◽  
Xinli Zhang ◽  
Jia Shen ◽  
Richard Ngo ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Deepshe Dewett ◽  
Maryam Labaf ◽  
Khanh Lam-Kamath ◽  
Kourosh Zarringhalam ◽  
Jens Rister

Abstract Insufficient dietary intake of vitamin A causes various human diseases. For instance, chronic vitamin A deprivation causes blindness, slow growth, impaired immunity, and an increased risk of mortality in children. In contrast to these diverse effects of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in mammals, chronic VAD in flies neither causes obvious developmental defects nor lethality. As in mammals, VAD in flies severely affects the visual system: it impairs the synthesis of the retinal chromophore, disrupts the formation of the visual pigments (Rhodopsins), and damages the photoreceptors. However, the molecular mechanisms that respond to VAD remain poorly understood. To identify genes and signaling pathways that are affected by VAD, we performed RNA-sequencing and differential gene expression analysis in Drosophila melanogaster. We found an upregulation of genes that are essential for the synthesis of the retinal chromophore, specific aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, and major nutrient reservoir proteins. We also discovered that VAD affects several genes that are required for the termination of the light response: for instance, we found a downregulation of both arrestin genes that are essential for the inactivation of Rhodopsin. A comparison of the VAD-responsive genes with previously identified blue light stress-responsive genes revealed that the two types of environmental stress trigger largely nonoverlapping transcriptome responses. Yet, both stresses increase the expression of seven genes with poorly understood functions. Taken together, our transcriptome analysis offers insights into the molecular mechanisms that respond to environmental stresses.


2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Breitkopf ◽  
A Müller ◽  
L Ciuclan ◽  
E Wiercinska ◽  
P ten Dijke ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (39) ◽  
pp. 6976-6990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana María González-Paramás ◽  
Begoña Ayuda-Durán ◽  
Sofía Martínez ◽  
Susana González-Manzano ◽  
Celestino Santos-Buelga

: Flavonoids are phenolic compounds widely distributed in the human diet. Their intake has been associated with a decreased risk of different diseases such as cancer, immune dysfunction or coronary heart disease. However, the knowledge about the mechanisms behind their in vivo activity is limited and still under discussion. For years, their bioactivity was associated with the direct antioxidant and radical scavenging properties of phenolic compounds, but nowadays this assumption is unlikely to explain their putative health effects, or at least to be the only explanation for them. New hypotheses about possible mechanisms have been postulated, including the influence of the interaction of polyphenols and gut microbiota and also the possibility that flavonoids or their metabolites could modify gene expression or act as potential modulators of intracellular signaling cascades. This paper reviews all these topics, from the classical view as antioxidants in the context of the Oxidative Stress theory to the most recent tendencies related with the modulation of redox signaling pathways, modification of gene expression or interactions with the intestinal microbiota. The use of C. elegans as a model organism for the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in biological activity of flavonoids is also discussed.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 454
Author(s):  
Jaime Palomino ◽  
Javiera Flores ◽  
Georges Ramirez ◽  
Victor H. Parraguez ◽  
Monica De los Reyes

The gene expression in the canine oviduct, where oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early embryonic development occur, is still elusive. This study determined the oviductal expression of (PR), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9), and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15) during the canine oestrous cycle. Samples were collected from bitches at anoestrus (9), proestrus (7), oestrus (8), and dioestrus (11), after routine ovariohysterectomy and the ovarian surface structures and plasma progesterone concentration evaluated the physiological status of each donor. The oviductal cells were isolated and pooled. Total RNA was isolated, and gene expression was assessed by qPCR followed by analysis using the t-test and ANOVA. The PR mRNA increased (P < 0.05) from the anoestrus to dioestrus with the plasma progesterone concentration (r = 0.8). COX-2 mRNA expression was low in the anoestrus and proestrus, and negligible in the oestrus, while it was around 10-fold higher (P < 0.05) in the dioestrus. The GDF-9 mRNA was expressed during all phases of the oestrous cycle and was most abundant (P < 0.05) during oestrus phase. The BMP-15 mRNA decreased (P < 0.05) in the anoestrus and proestrus phases. Thus, the transcripts were differentially expressed in a stage-dependent manner, suggesting the importance of oestrous cycle regulation for successful reproduction in dogs.


2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Ann Blomberg ◽  
Kurt A. Zuelke

Functional genomics provides a powerful means for delving into the molecular mechanisms involved in pre-implantation development of porcine embryos. High rates of embryonic mortality (30%), following either natural mating or artificial insemination, emphasise the need to improve the efficiency of reproduction in the pig. The poor success rate of live offspring from in vitro-manipulated pig embryos also hampers efforts to generate transgenic animals for biotechnology applications. Previous analysis of differential gene expression has demonstrated stage-specific gene expression for in vivo-derived embryos and altered gene expression for in vitro-derived embryos. However, the methods used to date examine relatively few genes simultaneously and, thus, provide an incomplete glimpse of the physiological role of these genes during embryogenesis. The present review will focus on two aspects of applying functional genomics research strategies for analysing the expression of genes during elongation of pig embryos between gestational day (D) 11 and D12. First, we compare and contrast current methodologies that are being used for gene discovery and expression analysis during pig embryo development. Second, we establish a paradigm for applying serial analysis of gene expression as a functional genomics tool to obtain preliminary information essential for discovering the physiological mechanisms by which distinct embryonic phenotypes are derived.


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