The Involvement of the Androgen Receptor in the Secretion of the Epididymalcorpusin the LizardPodarcis sicula

Abstract

A crucial role in the maintenance of male reproductive functions is carried out by the androgen through its receptor in balance with the estrogen receptors (ERs). The distribution of the androgen receptor (AR) is well documented in the testis and in the reproductive tissues of mammals but the findings about the AR in nonmammalian vertebrates and in particular in reptiles are very scarce. Here by means of in situ hybridization (ISH) we investigated the AR expression along the epididymal channel (efferent ductules, corpus, and cauda) of Podarcis sicula during the mating and nonmating period. The results show that in this seasonal breeding species the AR expression pattern is always constant throughout the epididymis. The administration of estradiol-17 in the mating period does not affect the AR expression but inhibits the secretory activity of the epididymal corpus. To verify the expression pattern of ERs, we also conducted ISH investigations on adjacent sections with ERs probes. The findings suggest that AR induces the secretory activity in the epithelial cells of the epididymal corpus and confirm our previous results that showed the role of ERalpha (ER ) as switch off for the secretion of this compartment.

Spermatogenic Waves and Expression of AR and ERs in Germ Cells ofPodarcis sicula

“…The ISH was performed by using homologous digoxigenin (DIG) labelled cDNA fragments of ER , ER , or AR, as already reported for the liver and epididymis [37,38,40]. Briefly, the dewaxed sections were treated with proteinase K (10 g/mL) at 50 ∘ C for 10 min.…”

“…We will also try to assign a possible functional role to the difference in the ability of germ cells to transcribe the receptors during their progression in the spermatogenic events. For this purpose we analyzed the expression of these receptors in the testis by means of in situ hybridization with homologous probes already cloned by us [36][37][38].…”

Immunolocalization of aromatase P450 in the epididymis of Podarcis sicula and Rattus rattus

“…The columnar cells present two nuclei and are quite active in the synthesis of large dense vacuoles that, once released their content in the epididymal lumen, take part in epididymal fluid organization. [30][31][32] On the contrary, during the nonreproductive period (July-August), basal cells are still present, instead the columnar cells present a different morphology: they have a single nucleus and do not show the presence of large dense vacuoles indicating that they are not in active synthesis. Moreover, differently from what occurs during the reproductive period, spermatozoa are absent in the epididymis lumen during the non-reproductive period.…”

Exploring the Role of Estrogens in Lizard Spermatogenesis through the Study of Clomiphene and FSH Effects

“…In the seasonal breeder Podarcis sicula , during the mating period, the seminiferous epithelium shows all the developmental stages of germ cells and a great amount of sperms fills the lumen. Parallelly, the epididymis is fully active, with the cells of the corpus high and secreting [ 20 , 30 , 31 ]. In reptiles, very scant is the knowledge about the effects of SERM exposition in both males and females.…”