Expression of Sirt1 in mouse testes

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Sirt1 belongs to class III histone/protein deacetylase. Sirt1 KO mice have spermatogenic defects. In this study, expression of Sirt1 and acetylated histone 3k9 (H3k9ac) was examined in developing mouse testes. Among two splicing variants of sirt1 mRNA long form was dominant in developing testis. Testicular sirt1 mRNA levels were low at birth, increased until 14 days post partum (pp) and remained constant thereafter. Sirt1 immunoreactivity was weak to negligible in gonocytes, moderate in spermatogonia, absent in preleptotene spermatocytes, moderate in zygotene spermatocytes, strong in pachytene spermatocytes, and weak in diplotene spermatocytes. Round and elongating spermatids were negative for Sirt1. Acetylated histone 3k9 (H3k9ac) immunoreactivity was moderate in spermatogonia and weak to negligible in preleptotene to pachytene spermatocytes but strong in round and elongating spermatids. In Sertoli cells, nuclear Sirt1 immunoreactivity was absent at birth, increased at 14 days pp and markedly increased at 28 days pp onwards. In immature Sertoli cells culture, FSH and testosterone increased sirt1 mRNA, suggesting that Sirt1 participates in protein deacetylation events during the differentiation of Sertoli cells by gonadotropin. In the Leydig cells, nuclear Sirt1 immunoreactivity was weak until 2 weeks pp and decreased in 4 weeks pp onward. suggesting the protein deacetylation by Sirt1 in Leydig cell precursor/progenitor cells. Mutually exclusive expression between Sirt1 and H3k9ac in pachytene spermatocytes in testis suggests that deacetylation of H3K9ac by Sirt1 participates in the gene silencing and/or chromosome behavior in pachytene sspermatocytes.