Publication: HSP47 expression in the hamster Sertoli cell: An immunohistochemical study
Authors
Seco-Rovira, Vicente ; Serrano-Sánchez, María Isabel ; Beltrán-Frutos, Ester ; Martínez-Hernández, Jesús ; Ferrer, Concepción ; Pastor, Luis Miguel
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Publisher
Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.14670/HH-18-734
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
HSP47, a chaperone whose main function is
the maturation of collagen molecules, is considered a
marker of fibrotic diseases. Increased collagen synthesis
in the testis has been associated with various pathologies
leading to seminiferous tubule regression. Our aim was
to study whether HSP47 is expressed in hamster Sertoli
cells both in the adult and in two physiological situations
of seminiferous tubule atrophy: irreversible testicular
ageing and testicular regression due to short photoperiod
(reversible). Eighteen animals were divided as follows: a
group of 6 young animals aged 6 months, a group of 6
animals aged 24 months, which were exposed to a long
photoperiod, and a final group of 6 young animals
subjected to a short photoperiod. Testicular samples
were fixed in methacarn and an immuno-histochemical
technique was used to detect HSP47. A semiquantitative
study of this protein expression was performed between
tubular sections of aged animals with complete
spermatogenesis and arrested spermatogenesis and
tubular sections with arrest spermatogenesis of
photoinhibited testes. Sertoli cells were positive for
HSP47, the intensity being greater in tubular sections
with arrested spermatogenesis in both aged and
photoinhibited animals. Semiquantitative analysis
corroborated this observation in the sense that the
expression of this protein differed according to the
functional state of the seminiferous tubules. Thus, the
ratio of immunoreactivity was significantly higher in
tubular sections with arrested spermatogenesis in aged
animals compared with regressed animals, and in the
latter compared with those whose tubular sections
showed complete spermatogenesis. In conclusion,
HSP47 expression in Sertoli cells was found for the first
time in mammals. Moreover, increased expression
seemed to be related to the degree of seminiferous
atrophy epithelium and to the reversible or nonreversible physiological state of this epithelium.
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