Testicular Hypoplasia with Normal Fertility in Neudesin-Knockout Mice

Abstract

Neudesin is a secretory protein involved in the brain development during embryonic period and dietinduced development of adipose tissue. Although neudesin is also expressed in the testis, its physiological functions in the testis have not been documented. Therefore, we examined neudesin-encoding neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (Nenf ) gene-knockout (Neudesin-KO) mice to clarify the functions of neudesin in the testis. The testicular size of the Neudesin-KO mice was significantly smaller than that of wild-type (WT) mice. However, histological analyses did not reveal any abnormalities in the testis, caput epididymis, and cauda epididymis. Sperm number in the cauda epididymis was comparable between WT and KO mice. Neudesin-KO male mice produced vaginal plugs on paired WT female mice, with a frequency similar to that in WT male mice. A similar number of embryos were developed in the females copulated with WT and Neudesin-KO males. Molecular analysis indicated that the ion transporters Slc19a1 and Kcnk3 were more expressed in the testis of Neudesin-KO mice than in the testis of WT mice, suggesting that the transport of ions and some nutrients in the testis has some abnormalities. Testicular size decreased on postnatal day 6, but not on the day of birth, indicating that neudesin is involved in the postnatal, but not embryonic, development of testis. These results indicate a novel role of neudesin in the development of testis.

Expression of TASK-1 channel in mouse Leydig cells

“…TASK-1 is highly upregulated in the testis of neudesin-KO mouse. The absence of the neudesin gene led to a reduction in testicular size, however, it had no effect on the histological features or the spermatogenic function of the testis (Hasegawa et al, 2022). Hasegawa et al (2022) testes because it has the effect of reducing the volume.…”

“…The absence of the neudesin gene led to a reduction in testicular size, however, it had no effect on the histological features or the spermatogenic function of the testis (Hasegawa et al, 2022). Hasegawa et al (2022) testes because it has the effect of reducing the volume. In this study, TASK-1 was preferentially expressed in Leydig cells over Sertoli cells, so the decrease in testicular size may be due to the role of neudesin and TASK-1 in Leydig cells.…”

Neudesin, A Secretory Protein, Suppresses Cytokine Production in Bone Marrow-Derived Dendritic Cells Stimulated by Lipopolysaccharide

“…11) Additionally, we previously reported that neudesin directly acts on adipocytes and inhibits their differentiation 12) and that it is involved in testis development. 13) Thus, neudesin is a secretory factor implicated in various biological functions, suggesting that it may have other physiological roles that are yet to be elucidated.…”