Expression pattern of testicular claudin-11 in infertile men.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the expression levels of claudin-11 mRNA and the localization of claudin-11 protein in testes of infertile men.

METHODS:

This study included 5 men with obstructive azoospermia and 50 men with nonobstructive azoospermia who had undergone testicular sperm extraction. Testicular tissues were obtained from these men and expression levels of claudin-11 mRNA in testicular samples were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The localization of claudin-11 protein was analyzed by immunofluorescent staining.

RESULTS:

Expression levels of testicular claudin-11 mRNA in nonobstructive azoospermia men were significantly greater than in obstructive azoospermia men, whereas there was no significant difference in testicular claudin-11 mRNA expression between men with and without successful sperm retrieval by testicular sperm extraction. Based on the findings of immunofluorescent staining, expression patterns of claudin-11 protein could be divided into normal (localization to basal component of seminiferous tubules) and abnormal patterns (diffuse expression in Sertoli cells/extremely low or no expression). The proportion of nonobstructive azoospermia men with an abnormal expression pattern of claudin-11, particularly that of Sertoli cell-only syndrome men, was significantly greater than that of obstructive azoospermia men. Furthermore, claudin-11 expression showing an abnormal pattern in men without successful sperm retrieval was significantly frequent compared with those whose sperm were successfully retrieved.

CONCLUSION:

These findings suggest that disorganization of claudin-11 expression in Sertoli cells might be one of the factors involved in the impairment of spermatogenesis.

• Authors: Koji Chiba, Kohei Yamaguchi, Makoto Ando, Hideaki Miyake, Masato Fujisawa
• Journal: Urology (Urology) Vol. 80 Issue 5 Pg. 1161.e13-7 (Nov 2012) ISSN: 1527-9995 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22951003 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• CLDN11 protein, human
• Claudins
• RNA, Messenger

Topics

• Adult
• Azoospermia (genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• Biopsy
• Claudins (biosynthesis, genetics)
• Gene Expression Regulation
• Humans
• Infertility, Male (genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• Male
• Microscopy, Fluorescence
• Oligospermia (genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• RNA, Messenger (genetics)
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Sertoli Cells (metabolism, pathology)
• Spermatogenesis (genetics)
• Spermatozoa (metabolism)
• Testis (metabolism, pathology)