High levels of autophagy exist in Leydig cells of the testis, but its physiological function is unknown. Gao et al. now show that autophagy promotes uptake of cholesterol, an essential precursor for testosterone synthesis, by removing the NHERF2 negative regulator of the high-density lipoprotein receptor SR-BI.

The aim of present work was to investigate the effect of solid-state fermentation with filamentous fungi (Aspergillus oryzae var. effuses, Aspergillus oryzae, and Aspergillus niger) on total phenolics content (TPC), flavonoids, and antioxidant activities of four subfractions of oat, namely, n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol, and water, and compare them to their corresponding subfractions of unfermented oat. The TPC and total flavonoids increased dramatically, especially in EA subfractions (p < 0.05). The levels of antioxidant activity of subfractions were also significantly enhanced (p < 0.05). The highest antioxidant activities were also found in the EA subfractions. The polyphenols in EA were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography at 280 nm. Most polyphenols were increased remarkably, especially ferulic and caffeic acids. There was a clear correlation between the TPC and antioxidant activity. In conclusion, fungi fermentation is a potential bioprocess for increasing the TPC, flavonoids, and antioxidant activities of oat-based food.

The ectoplasmic specialization (ES) is essential for Sertoli-germ cell communication to support all phases of germ cell development and maturity. Its formation and remodeling requires rapid reorganization of the cytoskeleton. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of ES assembly is still largely unknown. Here, we show that Sertoli cell-specific disruption of autophagy influenced male mouse fertility due to the resulting disorganized seminiferous tubules and spermatozoa with malformed heads. In autophagy-deficient mouse testes, cytoskeleton structures were disordered and ES assembly was disrupted. The disorganization of the cytoskeleton structures might be caused by the accumulation of a negative cytoskeleton organization regulator, PDLIM1, and these defects could be partially rescued by Pdlim1 knockdown in autophagy-deficient Sertoli cells. Altogether, our works reveal that the degradation of PDLIM1 by autophagy in Sertoli cells is important for the proper assembly of the ES, and these findings define a novel role for autophagy in Sertoli cell-germ cell communication.

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells are vital for retinal health. However, they are susceptible to injury with ageing and exposure to excessive light, including UV (100-380 nm) and visible (380-760 nm) radiation. To evaluate the protective effect of blueberry anthocyanins on RPE cells, in vitro cell models of replicative senescent and light-induced damage were established in the present study. After purification and fractionation, blueberry anthocyanin extracts (BAE) were yielded with total anthocyanin contents of 31·0 (SD 0·5) % and were used in this study. Replicative senescence of RPE cells was induced by repeatedly passaging cells from the fourth passage to the tenth. From the fifth passage, cultured RPE cells began to enter a replicative senescence, exhibiting reduced cell proliferation along with an increase in the number of β-galactosidase-positive cells. RPE cells maintained high cell viability (P < 0·01) and a low (P < 0·01) percentage of β-galactosidase-positive cells when treated with 0·1 μg/ml BAE. In contrast, after exposure to 2500 (SD 500) lx light (420-800 nm) for 12 h, RPE cells in the positive control (light exposure, no BAE treatment) exhibited premature senescence, low (P < 0·01) cell viability and increased (P < 0·01) vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release compared with negative control cells, which were not subjected to light irradiation and BAE exposure. Correspondingly, BAE is beneficial to RPE cells by protecting these cells against light-induced damage through the suppression of ageing and apoptosis as well as the down-regulation of the over-expressed VEGF to normal level. These results demonstrate that BAE is efficacious against senescence and light-induced damage of RPE cells.

Sirt1 is a member of the sirtuin family of proteins and has important roles in numerous biological processes. Sirt1 −/− mice display an increased frequency of abnormal spermatozoa, but the mechanism of Sirt1 in spermiogenesis remains largely unknown. Here, we report that Sirt1 might be directly involved in spermiogenesis in germ cells but not in steroidogenic cells. Germ cell-specific Sirt1 knockout mice were almost completely infertile; the early mitotic and meiotic progression of germ cells in spermatogenesis were not obviously affected after Sirt1 depletion, but subsequent spermiogenesis was disrupted by a defect in acrosome biogenesis, which resulted in a phenotype similar to that observed in human globozoospermia. In addition, LC3 and Atg7 deacetylation was disrupted in spermatids after knocking out Sirt1, which affected the redistribution of LC3 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and the activation of autophagy. Furthermore, Sirt1 depletion resulted in the failure of LC3 to be recruited to Golgi apparatus-derived vesicles and in the failure of GOPC and PICK1 to be recruited to nucleus-associated acrosomal vesicles. Taken together, these findings reveal that Sirt1 has a novel physiological function in acrosome biogenesis.

Studies suggest that the consumption of berry fruits rich in anthocyanins may have beneficial effects on improving visual function. This study determined the total polyphenol and total anthocyanin contents in wild Chinese blueberries using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent method and a pH differential method. Anthocyanin composition and quantity were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with mass selective detection. Total polyphenol and anthocyanin contents were 602.9 ± 9.2 and 177.8 ± 8.3 mg/100 g, respectively. Seventeen anthocyanins were discovered, and only 13 were tentatively identified in the wild blueberries. Anthocyanins of malvidin glycosylated with hexose or pentose accounted for >46% of total anthocyanin content. Furthermore, the effect of whole blueberries on retinal damage in pigmented rabbits upon light exposure was investigated, and the retinal functions were evaluated by electroretinogram (ERG). Pigmented rabbits were chosen for this experiment because of their large eyes, which facilitated the operative procedure and observation, and the similarity of their eyes to the human eye structure. Light-induced retinal damage was induced by exposure to white light at 15000 ± 1000 lx for 2 h. Feeding the rabbits with blueberries at a dosage of 1.2 or 4.9 g/kg/day for 4 weeks prior to light exposure effectively reduced photodamage to the retinas. This study adds to the growing body of data supporting the bioactivity of blueberries in improving mammal vision.

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The inhibitory effects of 30 dietary flavonoids on dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) were investigated to illustrate their quantitative structure−activity relationship (QSAR) and further explore their inhibition at the cellular level. Results of in vitro experiment show that isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside (IC 50 , 6.53 ± 0.280 μM) had the strongest inhibition followed by cyanidin-3-Oglucoside (IC 50 , 8.26 ± 0.143 μM) and isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside (IC 50 , 8.57 ± 0.422 μM). A 3D QSAR model [comparative molecular field analysis, q 2 = 0.502, optimum number of components (ONC) = 3, R 2 = 0.983, F = 404.378, standard error of estimation (SEE) = 0.070, and two descriptors; comparative similarity index analysis, q 2 = 0.580, ONC = 10, R 2 = 0.999, F = 1617.594, SEE = 0.022, and four descriptors] indicates that the DPP-IV inhibition of flavonoid was facilitated by crucial structural factors. Position 3 of ring C favored bulky, hydrogen bond acceptors and hydrophilic and electron-donating substituents. The presence of minor and electron-withdrawing groups at position 4′ of ring B and positions 5 and 7 of ring A could improve DPP-IV inhibition. Moreover, the three flavonoids mentioned above could effectively suppress DPP-IV activity and expression in Caco-2 cells. This work may supply new insights into dietary flavonoids as DPP-IV inhibitors for controlling blood glucose.