Restoration of spermatogenesis and fertility in azoospermic mutant mice by suppression and reelevation of testosterone followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Advances in assisted reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection have made paternity possible for many patients with male infertility. However, at least some sperm or spermatids are required for these techniques to be successful, and patients incapable of producing spermatids cannot be helped. Male mice homozygous for the mutant juvenile spermatogonial depletion (jsd) gene show spermatogonial arrest and an elevated intratesticular testosterone level like many other experimental infertility models such as those with iradiation- or chemotherapy-induced testicular damage. In this category of infertile males, suppression of the testosterone level induces spermatogonial differentiation to the stage of spermatocytes but no further. In the present study with jsd mutant mice, we induced spermatogenesis first to spermatocytes and then to elongated spermatids by suppression of testosterone levels with a GnRH antagonist, Nal-Glu, at a dose of 2500 microg kg(-1) day(-1) for 4 wk and then withdrawal of Nal-Glu. Spermatids were seen in the cross-sections of seminiferous tubules in all mice treated by administration and subsequent withdrawal of Nal-Glu. Four weeks after withdrawal of Nal-Glu, some of the germ cells differentiated into elongated spermatids. Supplementation with testosterone and Nal-Glu after 4 wk of treatment with Nal-Glu alone also induced spermatogenesis similar to the induction by withdrawal of Nal-Glu. Thus, we ascribe the restoration of the differentiation of spermatocytes to spermatids to reelevation of the testosterone level. Furthermore, we successfully rescued male sterility in jsd mice by subsequent intracytoplasmic sperm injection using the elongated spermatids induced by the programmed hormone therapy.     

Differential expression of ribosomal proteins in human normal and neoplastic colorectum.

Ribosomal proteins are a major component of ribosomes and play critical roles in protein biosynthesis. Recently it has been shown that the ribosomal proteins also function during various cellular processes that are independent of protein biosynthesis therefore called extraribosomal functions. In this study we have, for the first time, determined the expression profile of 12 ribosomal proteins (Sa, S8, S11, S12, S18, S24, L7, L13a, L18, L28, L32, and L35a) in normal epithelia of human colorectal mucosa using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and then compared their expression patterns with those of colorectal cancer. In the normal mucosa, ribosomal proteins were largely associated with the ribosomes of mucosal epithelia, and the expression level of ribosomal proteins, except for S11 and L7 proteins, was markedly increased in associated with maturation of the mucosal cells. On the other hand, these ribosomal proteins were markedly decreased in colorectal cancer compared with the normal mucosa. By contrast, S11 and L7 ribosomal proteins were rarely associated with the ribosomes of colorectal epithilia except immature mucosal cells, whereas their expression levels were significantly enhanced in colorectal cancer cells. In addition, L7 ribosomal protein was detected in the secretory granules of the enterochromaffin cells in the colorectal mucosa and in carcinoma cells expressing chromogranin A. These results indicate that the expression of ribosomal proteins is differentially regulated not only in normal mucosa but also in carcinoma of human colorectum, and suggest an extraribosomal function of L7 ribosomal protein in neuroendocrine function.     

Muscle pump-dependent self-perfusion mechanism in legs in normal subjects and patients with heart failure.

Leg venous pressure markedly falls during upright exercise via a muscle pump effect, creating de novo perfusion pressure. We examined physiological roles of this mechanism in increasing femoral artery blood flow (FABF) and its alterations in chronic heart failure (CHF). In 10 normal subjects and 10 patients with CHF, standard hemodynamic variables, mean ankle vein pressure (MAVP), and FABF with Doppler techniques were obtained during graded upright bicycle exercise. To evaluate a nonspecific blood flow response, normal subjects also performed supine exercise. In normal subjects, MAVP rapidly declined by 45 mmHg and FABF correspondingly increased 5.3-fold without a systemic pressor response during 10 s of light upright exercise at 5 W. Approximately 67% of the blood flow response was attributed to the venous pressure drop-dependent mechanism. In CHF patients, MAVP declined by only 36 mmHg and FABF increased only 1.7-fold during the same upright exercise. The muscle venous pump has an ability to increase FABF at least threefold via the venous pressure drop-dependent mechanism. This mechanism is impaired in CHF patients.     

HZE radiation effects for hereditary renal carcinomas.

Eker rat known as a model of hereditary renal carcinoma (RC) is an example of Mendelian dominantly inherited predisposition to a specific cancer in experimental animals. We investigate the effects of simulated space radiation on carcinogenesis using HIMAC. We estimated RBE from the Eker rats exposed to the heavy-ions, C (290 MeV/u) and Fe (500 MeV/u) ions, comparing to the effects of X-ray irradiation. Pregnant rats were exposed to C and Fe ions and X-rays with a single dose of 1 Gy, 2 Gy, 3 Gy on day 19 of gestation. The offspring were sacrificed at 8 weeks of age. We evaluated organ weights and tumor genesis. The weights of thymus, lung, liver, spleen were found to be no difference from the control at 1 Gy irradiation but 50% decrease at 3 Gy irradiation. We found in the irradiated animal that kidney, brain and testis were very sensitive organs of which the weight decreased to approximately 80% at 1 Gy and to 40% at 3 Gy irradiations. Based on the dose-response relationship of the radiation-induced carcinoma, averaged RBE ware calculated to be 1.1 for C-ion, 1.6 for Fe-ion.