Skip Navigation


Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on May 15, 2007
Human Reproduction 2007 22(7):1885-1892; doi:10.1093/humrep/dem091
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
22/7/1885    most recent
dem091v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (8)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Boukari, K.
Right arrow Articles by Meduri, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Boukari, K.
Right arrow Articles by Meduri, G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Human fetal testis: source of estrogen and target of estrogen action

Kahina Boukari1,2,3, Maria Luisa Ciampi4, Anne Guiochon-Mantel1,2,5, Jacques Young1,2,6, Marc Lombès1,2 and Geri Meduri1,2,5,7

1 Univ Paris-Sud, UMR-S 693 Le kremlin Bicêtre Cedex F-94276, France 2 Inserm, U693, Faculté de Médecine Paris Sud, 63 rue Gabriel Péri, Le Kremlin Bicêtre Cedex F-94276, France 3 Centre de Recherches Biomédicales des Cordeliers, Univ Pierre et Marie Curie F-75006, France 4 Department of Pathology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy 5 AP-HP, Service de Génétique Moléculaire, Pharmacogénétique et Hormonologie, CHU Bicêtre F-94276, France 6 AP-HP, Service d'endocrinologie, CHU Bicêtre F-94276, France

7 Correspondance address. Tel: +00 33 1 49 59 67 05; Fax: +00 33 1 49 59 67 32; E-mail: geri.meduri{at}u-psud.fr

BACKGROUND: Estrogens are involved in masculine fertility and spermatogenesis. However, little is known about estrogen involvement in human testicular organogenesis. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the cellular sources and targets of estrogens and their variations in the human testis during fetal development. Expression profiles of aromatase (CYP19) and estrogen receptors (ER) {alpha} and beta were analysed in human fetal testes at various gestational stages by immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT–PCR.

METHODS: Fifty-four archival paraffin-embedded and four frozen fetal testes were studied by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. Tissue quality was confirmed by histology and expression of specific functional markers: androgenic enzymes for Leydig cells, anti-Müllerian hormone for Sertoli cells and Steel factor receptor for germ cells.

RESULTS: We demonstrate that the human fetal testes express aromatase and ERbeta simultaneously in Sertoli, Leydig and germ cells but are devoid of ER{alpha}. Quantification of positive cells indicates a window of protein expression, especially between 13 and 22–24 weeks. Quantitative RT–PCR confirmed that the human fetal testis expresses CYP19 and ERbeta but not ER{alpha} mRNA.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that locally produced estrogens influence human testicular development through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms, most notably during the period of maximal testicular susceptibility to endocrine disruptors.

Key words: Aromatase/estrogen receptors/human fetal testis/steroidogenesis

Submitted on January 4, 2007; resubmitted on March 1, 2007; accepted on March 7, 2007.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
K. Boukari, G. Meduri, S. Brailly-Tabard, J. Guibourdenche, M. L. Ciampi, N. Massin, L. Martinerie, J.-Y. Picard, R. Rey, M. Lombes, et al.
Lack of Androgen Receptor Expression in Sertoli Cells Accounts for the Absence of Anti-Mullerian Hormone Repression during Early Human Testis Development
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., May 1, 2009; 94(5): 1818 - 1825.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 EndocrinologyHome page
J. Keay and J. W. Thornton
Hormone-Activated Estrogen Receptors in Annelid Invertebrates: Implications for Evolution and Endocrine Disruption
Endocrinology, April 1, 2009; 150(4): 1731 - 1738.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
S. E. Recabarren, T. Sir-Petermann, R. Rios, M. Maliqueo, B. Echiburu, R. Smith, P. Rojas-Garcia, M. Recabarren, and R. A. Rey
Pituitary and Testicular Function in Sons of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome from Infancy to Adulthood
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., September 1, 2008; 93(9): 3318 - 3324.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 EndocrinologyHome page
A. Wahlgren, K. Svechnikov, M.-L. Strand, K. Jahnukainen, M. Parvinen, J.-A. Gustafsson, and O. Soder
Estrogen Receptor {beta} Selective Ligand 5{alpha}-Androstane-3{beta}, 17{beta}-Diol Stimulates Spermatogonial Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Rat Seminiferous Epithelium in Vitro
Endocrinology, June 1, 2008; 149(6): 2917 - 2922.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol.Home page
Z. Cao, L. Liu, W. Packwood, M. Merkel, P. D. Hurn, and D. M. Van Winkle
Sex differences in the mechanism of Met5-enkephalin-induced cardioprotection: role of PI3K/Akt
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, January 1, 2008; 294(1): H302 - H310.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.