Kido T, Namiki H
Department of Biology, School of Education, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
Dev Growth Differ. 2000 Aug;42(4):359-66. doi: 10.1046/j.1440-169x.2000.00520.x.
PERF 15 is a testicular germ cell specific fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) isolated from rat. Indirect immunofluorescent analysis of juvenile rat testis showed that there were some strongly PERF 15-positive spermatocytes. These cells showed unclear nuclear structure and were predicted to undergo apoptosis. Apoptosis in germ cells is an important regulatory event to limit the number of germ cells in the seminiferous epithelium, but the physiological significance and molecular mechanisms of this testicular germ cell apoptosis are poorly understood. To determine whether PERF 15 participates in germ cell apoptosis, juvenile rat testis was examined by immunohistochemical and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) methods. Strongly PERF 15-positive cells and TUNEL-positive cells were co-localized in adjacent sections. Exposure to methoxyacetic acid (MAA), known to induce apoptosis in spermatocytes, increased the number of strongly PERF 15-positive cells in 25-day-old rats' testes. Therefore, it seems that PERF 15 is involved in both spermatogenesis and testicular germ cell apoptosis.
PERF 15是一种从大鼠中分离出的睾丸生殖细胞特异性脂肪酸结合蛋白（FABP）。对幼年大鼠睾丸进行间接免疫荧光分析显示，存在一些PERF 15强阳性的精母细胞。这些细胞的核结构不清晰，预计会发生凋亡。生殖细胞凋亡是限制生精上皮中生殖细胞数量的重要调节事件，但这种睾丸生殖细胞凋亡的生理意义和分子机制尚不清楚。为了确定PERF 15是否参与生殖细胞凋亡，采用免疫组织化学和末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶介导的dUTP缺口末端标记（TUNEL）方法对幼年大鼠睾丸进行了检测。在相邻切片中，PERF 15强阳性细胞和TUNEL阳性细胞共定位。已知甲氧基乙酸（MAA）可诱导精母细胞凋亡，暴露于MAA会增加25日龄大鼠睾丸中PERF 15强阳性细胞的数量。因此，PERF 15似乎参与了精子发生和睾丸生殖细胞凋亡。
