| Abstract: | Trpm8 (melastatin-related transient receptor potential member 8), a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily,
encoding a cation channel named TRPM8, has been shown to be a primary androgen-responsive gene and play an important role
in prostate physiology. To investigate the expression feature of TRPM8 in urogenital tract of male rats, and whether TRPM8
was also regulated by androgen receptor in these organs, male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three groups of 35 animals
as follows: sham-operated (SHAM), orchidectomized (ORX), orchidectomized plus DHT treatment (O + D). Organs in urogenital
tract, including kidney, prostate, seminal vesicle (SV), testis, epididymis and penis, were collected at different post-castration
periods. RT-PCR, real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and trpm8
in these tissue. As a result, AR and trpm8 can be detected in all these organs at mRNA or/and protein level. The mRNA expression
of trpm8 in kidney, prostate, SV and penis decreased 24 or 72 h after castration and kept decreasing in a time-dependant manner.
However, treatment of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) could reverse the effect of surgical castration. Collectively, our data provide
evidence that TRPM8 and AR were expressed generally in urogenital tract of male rats, and in these organs, expression of trpm8
was regulated by serum androgen. |
