Interactions between Leukocytes and the Male Reproductive System

Rossi, Adriano G.; Aitken, Raymond

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-5913-9_46

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This occurs, for example, when senescent neutrophils are being removed by macrophages from the sites of tissue repair (Leitch et al 2008). Since it is the fate of a majority of spermatozoa to die in the female reproductive tract following insemination, it is essential that the effective removal of these dead and moribund cells is achieved in the absence of inflammation (Rossi & Aitken 1997).…”

Section: Function Of Apoptosis In Spermatozoamentioning

confidence: 99%

Apoptosis in the germ line

Aitken¹,

Findlay²,

Hutt³

et al. 2011

Reproduction

159

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Apoptosis is a critical process for regulating both the size and the quality of the male and female germ lines. In this review, we examine the importance of this process during embryonic development in establishing the pool of spermatogonial stem cells and primordial follicles that will ultimately define male and female fertility. We also consider the importance of apoptosis in controlling the number and quality of germ cells that eventually determine reproductive success. The biochemical details of the apoptotic process as it affects germ cells in the mature gonad still await resolution, as do the stimuli that persuade these cells to commit to a pathway that leads to cell death. Our ability to understand and ultimately control the reproductive potential of male and female mammals depends upon a deeper understanding of these fundamental processes.

show abstract

Section: Function Of Apoptosis In Spermatozoamentioning

confidence: 99%

Apoptosis in the germ line

Aitken¹,

Findlay²,

Hutt³

et al. 2011

Reproduction

159

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is important that this process is ‘silent’ in the sense that there is no full‐blown phlogistic response to the presence of these potentially antigenic cells. Phosphatidylserine externalization plays a major role in informing the infiltrating leucocytes that they should not mount an inflammatory response against a phagocytized cell (Rossi and Aitken 1997). It is also possible that the apoptotic cascade initiated by mitochondrial ROS generation in spermatozoa serves to induce the leucocytic infiltration that leads to this phagocytosis.…”

Section: Initiation Of the Peroxidative Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The latter is a key enzyme in the hexose monophosphate shunt and would be expected in increase the availability of NADPH in these morphologically abnormal cells. The presence of NADPH is, in turn, associated with the generation of ROS via a flavoprotein-mediated process that could involve the NADPH oxidases in spermatozoa including, possibly NADPH oxidases that are located in the mitochondria (Aitken et al 1997;Baker and Aitken 2004;Urner and Sakkas 2005;Graham et al 2010).…”

Section: Initiation Of the Peroxidative Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Simmet Lecture: New Horizons on an Old Landscape – Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage and Apoptosis in the Male Germ Line

Aitken

Iuliis

Gibb

et al. 2012

Reprod Domestic Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Contents Our ability to diagnose and treat male infertility is gradually improving in concert with advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning defective sperm function. In this context, one of the factors to emerge as a major causative agent in male infertility is oxidative stress. Spermatozoa are particularly susceptible to such stress because they are exceptionally rich in vulnerable substrates such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins and DNA. The lack of sperm cytoplasm also provides these cells with little capacity to protect themselves from oxidative attack or to effect any repair, should damage occur. Similarly, sperm chromatin is in a quasi‐crystalline state and has very little capacity to respond to any DNA damage induced by oxidative attack. When the latter does occur, it appears to be initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the sperm mitochondria. These free radicals attack the lipids present in the sperm mitochondria generating electrophilic aldehydes, which bind to components of the mitochondrial electron transport chain stimulating yet more ROS production. The oxidative stress created via this self‐propagating mechanism initiates an apoptotic cascade as a result of which the spermatozoa loose their capacity for fertilization and suffer damage to their DNA. Phosphatidylserine externalization is a late event in sperm apoptosis and may facilitate the silent phagocytosis of moribund cells in the female reproductive tract, that is, the phagocytosis of senescent spermatozoa without the accompanying generation of an inflammatory response. Encouragingly, the involvement of oxidative stress in the aetiology of male infertility has opened up new opportunities for therapeutic interventions involving the judicious administration of nucleophiles and other forms of antioxidants.

show abstract

“…These mechanisms have been studied mostly in the testis (Meinhardt & Hedger 2010), largely underestimating the immune function of the epididymis and the post-testicular environment in general. Intraepithelial lymphocytes and other immunocompetent cells have been observed in the epididymis (Ritchie et al 1984, Nashan et al 1989, Barratt et al 1990, Nashan et al 1990, Tomlinson et al 1992, Nashan et al 1993, Yeung et al 1994, Hooper et al 1995, Flickinger et al 1997, Rossi & Aitken 1997, Serre & Robaire 1999), but the precise nature of these cells and their immunological properties remain to be elucidated. Dendritic cells (DCs), the specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that are key regulators of immune responses in numerous organs (Banchereau & Steinman 1998, Steinman et al 2003, Steinman & Banchereau 2007, Helft et al 2010), are thought to be absent from the epididymal epithelium (Seiler et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A dense network of dendritic cells populates the murine epididymis

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One of the most intriguing aspects of male reproductive physiology is the ability to generate spermatogenic cells - which are “foreign” to the host - without triggering immune activation. After leaving the testis, spermatozoa enter the epididymis where they mature and are stored. We report here a previously unrecognized dense network of dendritic cells located at the base of the epididymal epithelium. This network was detected in transgenic mice expressing CD11c-EYFP and CX3CR1-GFP reporters. Epididymal dendritic cells (eDCs) establish intimate interactions with the epithelium and project long dendrites between epithelial cells toward the lumen. We show that isolated eDCs express numerous leukocyte markers described previously in other organs that are in contact with the external environment, and present and cross-present ovalbumin to T cells in vitro. eDCs are, therefore, strategically positioned to regulate the complex interplay between immune tolerance and activation, a balance that is fundamental to male fertility.

show abstract

Interactions between Leukocytes and the Male Reproductive System

Cited by 11 publications

References 47 publications

Apoptosis in the germ line

Apoptosis in the germ line

The Simmet Lecture: New Horizons on an Old Landscape – Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage and Apoptosis in the Male Germ Line

A dense network of dendritic cells populates the murine epididymis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About